Dark Vana'diel 2
by Ian Dawson
Summary: Follow up to a fanfic on this site. Champions once famed for killing the Shadowlord have broken and slipped into obscurity. After the events on Tu'Lia involving the Zilart they must now search out their missing friends and face the Emptiness. See profile.
1. Chapter 1

Dark Vana'diel 2

_The culmination of the plan of two ancient beings of the Zilart race was ended by two mortals chosen by rival Gods. One was an Elvaan whose heart was tainted by darkness and whose faith was tested to the fullest. The other was a Hume freed from apathy and bathed in the four other taints, the strongest of which was rage. Their power joined together saved Vana'diel from imminent destruction._

_Yet as the two, who might have been known as saviours had their deeds been observed, accepted that one battle was over, they were driven to begin another. Tu'Lia shook once more as they fought to kill one another. It was all for nothing as the Dawn Maiden intervened once more. All were banished from that floating land using the left over power collected in the nexus. Some might say they died, whereas those who knew better would say that they had begun their trip to the Mother Crystal._

_Though the Zilart now no longer posed a threat, there was a greater evil ready to rear its head. A great evil was eating away at Vana'diel, infecting it piece by piece. The thing that the Zilart had been hoping to escape had been set in motion. The Emptiness began to spread further and faster than before._

_A name would surface of an ancient God. This name would set a new set of events in motion and bring forth the dark destroyer. The emissaries will hear the calls of rival Gods and be called back from where they are held. They will enact the wishes of Altana and Promathia._

PROLOGUE

Extracts from the diary of Catherine, one of the Six Champions…

_6/21/1032 Firesday, Waning Gibbous,_

_It's been two weeks since we found ourselves at the Crag of Mea and that he was not there with us. I still don't understand why he stayed behind. Everyone thinks he and Lion are dead, but I'll still hold onto hope. Even now, even after so many days._

_People in Bastok ask where he is every so often and I don't know what to say. Officially there was never any mission, there was never any trip to a palace in the sky and Vana'diel was never in peril. It makes me angry sometimes. I've practised smiling politely and saying he has gone back to adventuring. That excuse seems to work too well. Were we the only close friends he had?_

_Of course there are people who know it is something more than that. The Mythril Musketeers, Chief Engineer Cid, the President's daughter, they all know. It doesn't make it easier though, just harder. Cid tries to cheer us up and even passed on top secret details about the investigation into Tu'Lia now that its location is known. He promised that if they found even just bodies up there he would let us know._

_Nokum-Akkum has never been the same since that day. He's lost all love for life, the zest I admired so much. He's lost his best friend, no, closer than that, they were like brothers. It pains me to see him so forlorn and that nothing I can say will do any good. I wouldn't believe anything I told him anyway, my heart is aching too._

_Hanaa comes and goes, but surprisingly stays far more often. Her desire, or need, to constantly be on the move seems to have disappeared along with him. When she does go on travels she says it is just to see the world, but I think she is searching for him. She believes he has someone found his way back onto Vana'diel and is asking in every possible place if anyone has seen him. There are days she seems almost excited, but it soon passes as a possible sighting no doubt turns out to be wrong._

_Gerdinus is gone. The call he felt inside became too strong. He wanted to stay and help us grieve, but late one night he just vanished. Whenever a young Galka returns to Bastok I try to find them, to see if the memories of our former leader passed onto his new life. Two reborn Galka have returned recently, neither of which seemed to know me. I will miss you, Gerdinus._

_We lost more than him on Tu'Lia, though sometimes it feels like I am the only one who remembers that. Rost is gone as well. San d'Oria doesn't even know half of what happened to their trusted knight. They have covertly asked on three occasions for me to give them information. I chose not to. Something happened to Rost up there that scared me and I don't wish to dwell on it now._

_-_

_Shadow, the hired Ninja, was taken from us. The picture of his face in my memory grows a bit darker every day. I pray to Altana that I can keep my promise to him. Even if I forget his face in the years to come, I will not forget the Hume._

_Where there is but a small ray of light in so much darkness is with new found friends. Renene now stays with us in our home. She has retained her liveliness and quirks that all but Nokum-Akkum has warmed to. Her smile is a welcomed change to the gloom that the rest of us must cast over this place. She leaves occasionally, saying that she must check on the crystals of the avatars she can summon, but never mentions a home or family in Windurst. I wonder if she was a war orphan like so many were during the war._

_-_

_I had hoped to write happier tidings in this diary of mine, but I can't just yet. But there is a feeling whenever I look at one of the Prayer Stones we still posses, I can't describe it. It's like you're watching me. Is it you, Alain? If it is, if you can somehow read this, please, please come home._

_-_

CHAPTER ONE: JEUNO'S REQUEST

Catherine sighed and let her quill drop onto the half filled page of her diary. Writing such things was meant to be relaxing and relieve stress, but she found neither to be true. Constantly writing about what happened just kept it fresh in her mind. Yet she did not want to forget anyone who was lost on Tu'Lia. Friends, those who had seen her personality change, suggested other ways she could cope with the grief.

Returning to San d'Oria to take up her studies where they had left off some time ago on the matters of religion was a common suggestion, but doing such a thing would be a lie in itself. She had not prayed to the Dawn Goddess once since that day, even after seeing that the prospect of Paradise was real. She questioned her faith just as Rost had, and just as he had she found dismay in what appeared to be the answers her church sought for centuries. Any who travel through the gates to paradise would ascend into a God but at the price of every other person, dooming Vana'diel to some sort of plague. Thankfully, despite such events apparently being set in motion, no such plague had appeared.

Glancing out her bedroom window, Catherine tried to guess the time. She had awoken at dawn as usual, lying in for longer than that felt too much like missing the best part of the day. She had not been writing for that long so it could not have been later than seven. Nokum-Akkum would still be asleep; as would Hanaa assuming she had slept in the mansion last night (often she would come and go without announcing). The Moogles would be the only other ones up at this time.

_I need to stretch my legs; they won't mind me wandering around,_ she thought.

She dressed in a simple blue and white fabric top with matching trousers. She had taken to dressing in civilian clothes after her White Mage robes had been too badly damaged and stained. Even if the blood marks had been able to be cleaned away fully she still would not have felt right wearing them.

Her bedroom was on the second floor of the mansion at the end of a long hall with rows of mahogany doors down each side. Most were just other bedrooms, far more than were needed. Catherine crept past Nokum-Akkum's room making sure not to wake him. Her dear Tarutaru friend enjoyed the mornings, but lately had not been getting nearly enough sleep. She took as much care past Hanaa's door and paused to try and listen for snoring, but heard nothing. Descending the stairs to the ground floor and into the front room she found a Moogle happily hovering around with its tiny purple wings fluttering as it swung a long brush from side to side sweeping the floor.

"Good morning," she said to Nokum-Akkum's Moogle.

"Dear oh dear, Kupo!" the Moogle exclaimed, taken quite by surprise. "I did not hear you appear!"

With a slight bow, she apologised and moved out the way as the Moogle past by to carry on sweeping while lightly whistling a merry tune. While forever grateful for the service every Moogle did for those they took on as masters, she could never understand how they could enjoy house work as much as they did. Not only that but the special events that they would hold during times of celebration throughout the year were rivalled by none. The Doll Festival had been the most recent and, despite some problems, ended in an amazing fireworks display that could be seen as far away as the Zulkheim region.

The Moogle's whistling turned into song, "Silly little Kupo, sleeping on the seat, see the Kupo sleeping, with uncomfortable feet"

Somewhat bemused by the strange lyrics, Catherine glanced over to the long couch sitting near the mansion's large unlit fireplace. As she had come down the stairs she had assumed no one else was there but now she was not so sure. Walking over to the couch she peered over it. Tucked into it was Nokum-Akkum stretched out and probably stuck in the groove between the back and base of the couch, wearing a Tarutaru sized tunic. One of his hands was pressed on his forehead and drool had slipped down his face onto the fabric. She sighed.

"Nokum-Akkum slept down here again…"

"Oh yes," the Moogle said from where it was sweeping. "Silly Kupo must have forgotten to go to bed. It can't be comfortable, Kupo."

Stroking his blond hair she sighed again. He would spend hours on end just sitting on that couch since they had gotten back to Bastok. It wasn't the first time she had found that he had spent the night there either. He began to stir from his slumber, mumbling something about his mother. Shortly after his eyes opened he seemed to remember where he was.

"Cathy…is itaru time for bed?" he asked as he wiped his mouth.

"It's very early in the morning," she replied. "You fell asleep down here again."

The Tarutaru Warrior tried to get up, found he had wedged himself too far into the couch, and raised his hands in a plea for assistance. Catherine tugged him up onto his feet and then sat down next to him. After a long stretch and accompanied yawn, Nokum-Akkum sat next to her.

"Why don't you sleep in your room at night?"

Nokum-Akkum shrugged and looked at the floor. Just as she was about to try for an answer again something was slotted in through the mail slot next to the front door. A small cage was built around it to catch any letters and packages without having to answer the door. It was early as usual, the M.M.M.S were very prompt. Her Moggle had appeared from another part of the mansion to retrieve the mail, almost instinctively knowing that it had been delivered, but she stood and said that she would collect it.

"…Any good mail?" Nokum-Akkum asked from the couch.

Sitting back down next to him, they went through the mail together. First there was the latest edition of the Vana'diel Tribune (they had subscribed to have it delivered). Its cover story was about the grand opening of the Chocobo Circuit in the three nations, with a sub story about a new ferry travelling to the Near East after a mutual agreement between Aht Urghan and Jeuno. Next there seemed to be a newsletter passed round by the high society types that they lived around, it appeared to be about some petition to have a Mithran family moved to Port Bastok due to having uncontrollable children. Last there was an official looking letter with a wax seal bearing the symbol of the Duchy of Jeuno, addressed to her.

"Do you know someone in Jeuno, Cathy?" her friend asked.

"No…this looks like something official…"

The political climate since the events of Tu'Lia had been become complex. The initial threat of a huge Kindred army subsided in time with the Zilart being stopped, which took away the risk for war, but left Jeuno without a leader. Talks between all three nations and the duchy had been kept top secret, she had only heard a few titbits of information from Cid regarding the talks. Officially everything was _normal_. In the days following their return a special edition of the tribune had been released stating that San d'Oria had single-handedly fought off a demonic army, once again making Xarcarbard safe for adventurers. In the same release it was reported that Archduke Kam'lanaut had fallen extremely ill and, while still remaining in control of Jeuno, would no longer be able to take public audiences.

All those involved with the events leading to and during what happened in Tu'Lia had been sworn to secrecy regarding the deaths of Kam'lanaut and his brother. It was thought that the general public would panic or even rebel if it were known they had been deceived and controlled by mad men for so long. While she could not be sure, Catherine had always assumed that in the absence of a real Archduke it would fall to the one in command of the duchy's army to rule. That would mean the leader of the Duchy Guard; Captain Wolfgang. She broke the seal on the letter and read the content aloud.

_To Catherine of the Six Champions,_

_A matter of great importance has arisen of which cannot be discussed in this letter. All that can be said is that it is in regards to the events you and your companions lived through some weeks ago and the lasting effects this had on Delkfutt's Tower. I require your unique insight into this problem. Please travel to Jeuno at best speed right away, time is of the essence. Involvement of your home nation in this matter is not desired, though your companions may accompany you._

_From the desk of Archduke Kam'lanaut._

"Getaru itaru away! A deady-weady person wrote a letter!!" Nokum-Akkum squealed.

"Calm down, we both know this can't have been written by Kam'lanaut. It was just signed in this way in case someone other than one of us read it. No, this was probably written by Wolfgang."

But why he or any other Jeuno official would write to her was a mystery. They had always been warned by President Karst that Jeuno was probably fully aware of the parts they played in the Zilart's defeat but that they should deny everything to protect them. At some point after the war their identities had been discovered by Jeuno so that part was not a surprise, especially considering Kam'lanaut had sent assassins after some of them.

What insight she could give them on any subject was also unknown to her. Her studies growing up had been on the teachings of White Magic and the church of San d'Oria, nothing more. While it was true in her leisure time she had studied various lore, none of it was to do with the dormant technology in Delkfutt's Tower.

Now knowing the part that snow covered tower played in opening the way to Tu'Lia, the technology was most definitely ancient Zilart in origin. She had observed such technology in motion on the flying island but that hardly made her an expert on the subject. Jeuno was either desperate (for whatever reason), or it was trying to lure her out of Bastok into some kind of trap. It was possible even after the Archduke's demise that loyal underlings would seek revenge, but to do so through official channels seemed far too brazen.

"Your forehead looks angry-wangry, whataru you thinking aboutaru, Cathy?"

"I'm trying to decide what I should do with this letter. Scrap it? Obey it? Turn it in to the President's office? Delkfutt's Tower transported all of us straight to Tu'Lia, after that I don't know what happened to it. It's possible after those events something has gone wrong there…with that technology brought back to life by the Zilart."

She needed time to think.

-

"How have you come to be here?" a voice echoed.

A dark beast descended with thick demonic wings.

"You who have at one time entered _my_ Dynamis, how have you found this place?"

With teethed bared, the monstrous face of the speaking creature appeared from the darkness. Two thick horns spread from either side of its face and it had a bony chin. Its skin was a mixture of pure black and crimson red. Suddenly it shot forwards with a flap of its razor sharp wings and with a claw outstretched. Yet on contact nothing happened, it were as if he was a ghost and the claw past harmlessly through.

"No…you are not here," the monster growled. "Your body is elsewhere; your mind has wandered and discovered my dream, a place familiar at one time in life. Without your body you will not remain here, you will be consumed like all the rest when the Mother Crystal dies. Transient dreamer, repent if you should feel the need while within my dream, your stay will be fleeting. Those _of the Mother Crystal_ cannot stay in such a state for long. Not when _he_ is summoned."

The one to whom the beast spoke tried to answer back, but there was no voice, no ability to move. He was caught in static as if someplace else his body was held in place. The demon moved closer to his face and peered right into his eyes.

"There is something different about you, what is it? This presence, it is familiar to me now. Yes…Altana…this is your emissary. You allowed him to complete his trip to the Mother Crystal? Then all hope for the world is truly gone. After the Emptiness, all that will remain are dreams. Wait…who else enters my slumber?!"

Somehow he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was as if he was brought to life in that split second. He still could not move but knew the hand, knew the presence. He felt himself being pulled away from the demon as darkness swarmed him and his savoir. As it happened he heard the monster laugh to itself.

"Foolish beings, one who has completed their trip to the Mother Crystal cannot be brought back. Not…without…consequences…"

Where he had stood he saw the back of another figure; a small, young, boy.

-

Early morning turned to a rather cold early evening. Catherine had still not made up her mind about the letter she had received that morning, but had sought more advice. Using the pearl they had all carried she had called Hanaa (after discovering that she had disappeared again) as well as their new friend Renene the Summoner. Hanaa had been riding her Chocobo north but turned around and would be back soon. Renene had been studying goldsmithing at the guild in Bastok Markets and appeared at the mansion door within ten minutes of her plea to them both.

Without knocking, Hanaa Mocorho, the devilish Mithra Red Mage, barged in. Catherine had spoken to her on numerous occasions about her manners but her words of advice always fell on deaf ears. Renene (who had been bothering Nokum-Akkum on the couch endlessly) happily trotted over to her to greet her. With a tap of her beloved hat, Hanaa walked over and warmed her hands at the lit fireplace. Her tail stretched as she did, showing just how cold it must have been outside.

"Don't I get a cuddle frrrom my _Nookie-Ookie_?" the Red Mage purred.

Nokum-Akkum shook his head, much to her annoyance.

"Cheerrr up will you?! The mood in herrre is heavy enough to sink a ship."

Catherine spoke up swiftly to object, even though it did not look like the Tarutaru was going to do anything. Hanna had been as heart broken as them but got over it far quicker, or maybe just got better at hiding it. Negative emotional outbursts were not that common a thing to see from Hanaa Mocorho. Still, Catherine doubted that Nokum-Akkum would realize that this was simply Hanaa's way of coping and that it may cause problems in the future.

"Big Sis," Renene said, "the letter other Big Sis got is here. It came all the way from Jeuno!"

Almost snatching it away from the Summoner, Hanaa read the letter in just a few seconds. Speed reading was a fringe benefit from her training to evoke spells far faster than any other casters. She was a quick learner, which Catherine saw as an extra blessing considering how many memory cells the Mithra probably killed off with heavy drinking sessions at the Steaming Sheep.

Catherine spoke, "So, what do you think we should do?"

"To Hell with Jeuno, that's what I think! They can't be trrrusted, none of them. If they've managed to damage the tower somehow it's their problem, not ourrrs. It's because of them that…never mind."

"I agree that even if Jeuno has fallen under the control of Captain Wolfgang that we cannot rule out that surviving minions of the Archduke could try to get revenge…but the people living in Jeuno and probably most of its military don't even know what happened. They were fooled just as much as we were by the Zilart. What if Delkfutt were to explode or if they have accidentally reactivated it? Tu'Lia could fall on us, there's no telling where it would crash."

Hanaa reminded her of the warrants issued for their arrest on false accusations meant to set them up, but Catherine insisted that one of the first things to happen after the Archduke's demise was that they were revoked and quickly forgotten about. Next she recited a promise made to President Karst to remain completely separate from Jeuno and to never admit involvement in the Archduke's death. It was not normal for Hanaa to be the one taking the moral high ground and this second point took Catherine somewhat by surprise.

Yet in that moment she realized that really she had already made up her mind. By not considering how Bastok would react if she were to help Jeuno and through that help prove she was involved with Tu'Lia it meant that she was already willing to take that risk no matter what. The only thing that she had not decided on was how involved she would get and what she would do. She did not need to think long on whether Hanaa had deliberately made her walk into that realization as a sharp teethed grin appeared on the Mithra's face.

"So you don't carrre if you annoy a bunch of Bastok higherrr ups? Good. Got it. I understand. It's about time you started thinking about yourrrself and what you want rather than what Karrrst wants. But still, I don't trust Jeuno."

"What are you trying to suggest then?" she asked, somewhat bemused.

Another grin appeared, "We can still go make sure that old tower on Qufim Island is safe, we don't need Jeuno's perrrmission either. Sure it's probably closed off to adventurrrers but it shouldn't be too hard for us to sneak in with our magic."

It seemed like that had decided on a plan of action, albeit a less than law abiding one. It would not be as easy for them to sneak into Delkfutt's Tower as Hanaa would like to think. There was only one entrance and the Duchy would have it heavily guarded. In their favour, however, was that the grand entrance into the tower would never close. The ceiling surrounding the entrance had been heavily damaged and even if the machinery inside was still active it would make no difference.

At first, following the incident, the whole of the island was cordoned off by the Duchy Guard. The reason for this that was floating about (according to Cid) was some half hearted babble about a Behemoth running riot. Those restrictions had been lessened after just a week to only the tower itself being out of bounds to any travellers. Being so close to Jeuno and a prime training location for new recruits they would have had a revolt on their hands had they not taken that action. That, at least, meant that getting into Qufim would be easy enough.

"Let's take your airship to be extra quick!" Renene added, already heading for the door.

The Highwind was still docked in the hidden port beneath the Metalworks, but it was not as easy as heading down there and setting sail. The airship belonged to Bastok and was not freely available to them. The price the Republic would pay if it were discovered they had their own airship was too high. Even if it was feasible to take, they would need President Karst's permission, unless they wanted to add stealing to the list of laws they were apparently willing to break. Renene looked saddened as she explained all this.

"Well poo-woo," she huffed, "I wanted to see Samuel and Pops again!"

Since returning to Bastok with a slightly beaten up Highwind (it had battered into the rocks on Qufim Island in their absence) they had not had the chance to see either of the crew that had helped them so much. She had always just assumed they had gone back to working in whatever section of the Metalworks they had done before their original mission, but thinking back to any time she had visited Cid, she never saw them or even heard them mentioned.

"That old _genius_ keeps secrrrets from you as well, sweetie," Hanaa mocked. "Those two are still with the Highwind I'll bet. Cid wouldn't let them destroy his pride and joy. I did some checking arrround last week, it's the only explanation."

"Wha…what? Well, why didn't you tell me about this?" Catherine exclaimed.

Hanaa shrugged, "Didn't think you carrred about those two, I guessed it was a different two you were far morrre interested in finding. Anyway, forget it, okay? Good. We'll take public transportation to Jeuno, walk confidently onto Qufim Island from there, then sneak into the tower to see what's going on in there. Agreed?"

Hanaa crouched down and out stretched her hand in front of the fireplace. Renene hopped over from the door and placed her hand on top. With a slight huff, Nokum-Akkum moved from the couch and added his hand to the bunch. They all looked expectantly at her with childlike eyes. It would not be as easy as Hanaa said yet she had inspired them all. The laziest Red Mage she had ever met managed to inspire them into action, they would never believe it if she told them.

_If there's even the slightest hope that doing this will…_

She added her hand to theirs.

_For you, I'll risk it, Alain._


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO: SUMMONED TO THE TOWER

Airships were fine. That was the grand epiphany that Hanaa had decided over the years she had spent travelling. They were fine, but they were not for her. Sure, she had spent long enough on the Highwind with her friends and that was _fine_, but it just felt inferior to other sorts of travel.

Flying through the sky, cutting across the land, got you to your destination fast, but it was simple and a little dull. Travel was the one thing in life she would never be lazy about. She would take riding through the pollen heavy fields of Rolanberry Fields on a Chocobo or running through Tahrongi Canyon at sunset over riding an airship any day. Having travelled for so long she considered herself fully justified in her opinion. Too many people were missing out on what the world had to offer by ferrying from place to place for a few Gil.

Turning to face the upper deck of the public transport airship, she tried to spot her friends. It was surprisingly crowded for the first ship leaving port of the day (they could not leave in the evening as they had missed the last airship leaving port). At a glance most were travelling alone, maybe traders, or couriers. There was one family, two Humes with a child, pointing out locations as they sped by below. Part of her felt like complaining to them, they should be seeing those places up close to teach their kid a thing or two about the world, but instead she ended up just grumbling to herself.

The first friendly face she spotted was Renene. The Tarutaru Summoner's green garb was easily noticeable passing by the legs of other passengers. She seemed to be looking for someone. Passing by without noticing her, Renene carried on to the sheltered area of the upper deck that ran behind the observation area above the main deck. As she disappeared round one side Nokum-Akkum appeared at the other, quickly scurrying away towards the stairs down into the ship.

_How sweet!_ She cooed to herself.

Renene appeared at the other side of the airship and had now seen her. Trotting over, she asked if she had seen Nokum-Akkum. Grinning largely on the inside, Hanaa told where she had seen him run. With a smile, nod, and bow, Renene disappeared below deck with a spring in her step. Nokum-Akkum needed some spirit put back into him, she missed his energetic attitude, and Renene might just be able to bring it back. Still, the reason for his change was understandable.

While in Norg having a drinking game with Nokum-Akkum she had (somewhat on purpose) gotten him very drunk. She wanted to know about how he and Alain had first met, though she ended up spilling her heart instead which made her fur stand on end just thinking about. Yet before that, as the Tarutaru ranted in a drunken stupor, there had been a few details she latched onto and only remembered them a few drink free days later.

Both of her boys were war orphans. Though she had already known that about Alain, she had been surprised about Nokum-Akkum. Somehow he had ended up in Bastok afterwards at a very young age. She had always suspected some unwanted family living in Windurst that he had run away from, but that was wrong. Orphans were spread all over the place during those times when the Beastmen began their onslaughts and ambushes. Thousands were killed.

Alain had started life training as a Warrior, maybe with aspirations to becoming a Musketeer in the Bastokan Military (she had never asked about that). Since Nokum-Akkum had an unwavering desire to be a Warrior as well they found a common interest. But it was a bit deeper than that. It was common during the war that orphans would have to live together in sheltered accommodation; there was no other way to cope with the influx. They had met in one such place.

That kind of place sounded horrible to her and very lonely despite how many children were probably there. Yet they managed to strike up a friendship from a young age. Alain looked out for Nokum-Akkum since he was smaller and one of the youngest there. During his boastful drink fuelled story telling the Tarutaru had told it the other way round, but Hanaa saw through that. What was obvious was the bond between them, it was like brotherhood. It was a good example for people to follow. There may have been more to the story than that, but it was then that he became truly incoherent.

Strong bonds like that, strong bonds that have hardened over the years, once broken caused horrible pain. Bonds like that were something she was not used to, it was one of the benefits of staying on the road. But even she could not run away from the impact Alain's disappearance caused. And that is how she would always consider it. He could not be dead.

"Strange, you always seem to notice when I'm approaching," someone said. "It looks like you were thinking about something."

With some surprise, she looked up to see Catherine standing in front of her.

"Don't do that! Okay? Good. And no Mithra could possibly miss the odour of that awful perrrfume you wear!"

Catherine smiled, "Don't be mean just because I startled you."

She huffed. Paying attention too much to her thoughts was her problem. Another glance around the deck revealed far less people present than before. Just how long had she been thinking to herself? With a look out over the side she was surprised to see Rolanberry Fields passing by. Even from so high up, she could just about make out Goobbue Farmers tending to the berries and a few Crawlers patiently waiting for a chance to try and steal some. They would soon be landing in Port Jeuno, they could not be more than five minutes away.

"Did you want something?"

"Well no, I guess not. I was just curious where you were then I saw you so deep in thought…I'll go check on those troublesome Tarutaru. We should get ready to disembark."

Catherine disappeared below deck.

"Well…that was uncomforrrtable," Hanaa said to no one in particular.

Jeuno looked like a big cylinder stuck in the ocean even from how close the airship was. That was what she had decided. A big, dull, brown cylinder. The real detail ran along the promenades that stretched across the sea to touch with the bastions on the banks of Rolanberry, Sauromugue, and Batallia. A fourth bridge could not be seen from the sky, it descended onto Qufim Island which was hidden from sight at the far side of Jeuno. The promenades were where people gathered, where all the fancy shops were, and the ever busy Auction Houses. The cylinder was large enough to house thousands of residents and guests, though there were homes along the upper promenades as well.

The Duchy of Jeuno was broken into three distinct districts, which included the promenades which touched land as well as a fourth upper area that was crafted in white stone and blended in with the clouds. Upper Jeuno was a very posh place for those with too much money and not enough intelligence. The shops there were _always_ overpriced. There was a nice bar though, it did theme nights. Lower Jeuno was overcrowded because it was the best place in the city. The Auction House in that district was huge compared to the others and there was always a good deal to be had. There was a fun fortune teller and good food to be had at the Merry Minstrel. Port Jeuno was where travellers and merchants gathered, there was a section for airships coming and going from every corner of the world.

The fourth section of Jeuno was where the palace of the Archduke was, as well as his house, and the embassies for the three other nations. This place was called Ru'Lude Gardens (despite only having a couple of flowerbeds – she noted). The amount of guards around that place always made her uncomfortable, like she should feel guilty of something even if she had not done anything. After a few visits up there during a brief stint where she found Ballista exciting and needed to go register for matches, she resolved not to go back if it could be helped.

The airship dipped slightly and turned as it prepared to land in the designated port. As they went another airship flew by, heading east towards Windurst. Hanaa moved away from the side of the ship and below deck as was proper before a landing. They were not the smoothest considering the airship would land on water. The passenger lobby below had hand rails to hold onto and the Captain of the ship spoke over the speaking tubes asking everyone to prepare. She found Catherine standing next to Renene who, for whatever reason, was sitting on Nokum-Akkum's back and gnawing at his foot.

-

After a quite fierce shake they had landed. Catherine never did enjoy landing on water, it never felt entirely safe. A second announcement rung out over head and the sound of the boarding plate extending could be heard as the hum of the crystal engine subsided. To avoid being caught up in the crowd, she asked her friends all to wait till last – much to Hanaa's visible annoyance.

Eventually they stepped out and just in time as passengers heading for Bastok began to form a queue. Passing by the ticket checking they entered the arrival lounge and swiftly checked out before heading up a staircase to the upper promenade of Port Jeuno. It was almost mid afternoon so even the port was busy. It looked like a supply ship had come in between passenger carries as boxes were everywhere awaiting pick up. One elegantly dressed Elvaan Bard nearby was happily examining a crate full of shining armour.

"Let's go shopping!" Hanaa suddenly blurted out.

"Hanna Mocorho! You know we don't have time for that."

Renene pouted, "Maybe when we getaru back, Big Sis."

"You're right, sweetie. Maybe, if we try really harrrd, we can buy Cathy herrre a sense of fun, and your playmate a bag of happiness – by which I mean Goblin Chocolate. Anyway, let's get going to Qufim I guess."

Nokum-Akkum only huffed, until he saw Renene ready to pounce at him and swiftly moved off down the street. They all followed on (Renene faster than was perhaps necessary). At the end of the promenade that made contact with the main subsection of the city they took a right to a set of stairs leading down. At the bottom was a small hall with a bleak looking door leading out into Qufim Island. Guarding the door was a Galka clad in the standard white plate Duchy Guard armour. He looked down his nose at them and snorted.

"What business does your group have in Qufim?" the stout Galka asked and then spat out whatever he had snorted up. "You look a little too experienced to be picking on Clippers."

Catherine thought fast, "…We've been hired by a merchant in Lower Jeuno. He wants some samples from the beasts of Qufim. Crab meat, fish scales, that kind of thing. He's trying to make some new synthesis to sell, I think…"

The Galka peered at her, "Some merchant is paying all four of you to go gut a few stupid animals on Qufim Island?"

_He doesn't believe me! What am I going to do now? What a stupid lie. I can't just change my story suddenly or he'd ask more questions, what am I-_

"Wish I worked for a sap like that," the Galka suddenly said. "We soldiers don't get much Gil these days and all I hear from people when I'm standing guard is 'quest this, quest that', I tell you – adventuring is where the money is at. Anyway, get going. And if that idiot merchant has any other jobs let me know. I have some holiday time coming up."

With an uncontrollable bemused expression, Catherine nodded and walked past without another word. The two Tarutaru followed and Hanna was quick behind too. After they had cleared the door, and could no longer hear the guard clearing his throat, they knew they were safely onto the island. Hanna moved up next to her and nudged her shoulder.

"You are a terrible liarrr," she laughed. "Lucky for you we got stopped by a terrible guarrrd!"

The breeze sweeping down the tunnel they found themselves in was very brisk, though not nearly as bad as the Northlands. They carried on through the dimly lit passage passing by a few bone like structures extruding out the rocks. These ran all over the island and even the main land, sprouting out of the ground like bizarre flowers. Overheard bats squeaked and occasionally shot from one section of the roof to another, cautious of them trespassing.

The reason for the family of bats caution became obvious in the first wide area of the tunnel where they found an Elvaan Ranger with crossbow in hand firing into the roof at any bat moving. It looked like he was perfecting his aim under poor visibility circumstances; Catherine was impressed by the slightly strange choice of training. They passed by, greeting the Elvaan as they went, and eventually found the end of the tunnel.

The island was a frosty and rocky landscape with enclosed passage ways spreading in each direction and sudden cliff edges that revealed the ocean below. The sun was bright but snow was forever present and caused a chill. During certain whether conditions the sky would light up in a collage of magnificent colour that would draw reclusive Light Elementals out from the Astral Plane. She had seen such things only once and it was truly breath taking to behold. It was as if the sky was celebrating.

Delkfutt's Tower was north of where they currently walked, not a great distance to cover by any means. Soon they would be able to see its spire touching the sky. They moved somewhat cautiously as crabs and fish were far from the only dangers on the island. At night undead creatures would appear from the black walls of the cliff edge and arcane Weapons would sometimes dance along the bone like structures. Yet, as they walked, Catherine noticed a distinct lack of anything.

"Something isn't right here," she said as they walked. "It's just so…empty."

Hanaa shrugged, "So it looks like therrre is a few less monsters, so what? Look over near the cliff – a group of cadets getting battle trrraining. They probably cleared this place out."

_Maybe, but it's more than that... It's a feeling. What is it? I've felt it before. That feeling of emptiness, it's just like… Something is stopping the Arcane and Undead monsters from appearing. Whatever it is…it feels like Rost did in that place._

Before long the tower was in view. It looked dormant, though that was misleading. Not so long ago it had collected a vast amount of power and opened the way to Tu'Lia from the Zilart. Something had to be wrong for Jeuno to send a request. They moved towards the tower but veered slightly east to come at it from the side, to hopefully get an idea of just how guarded the entrance was.

Sure enough some soldiers wearing Jeuno's armour were standing around the entrance to Delkfutt's Tower, a group of five. They were gathered together having a conversation and seemed unaware of their presence. It didn't seem like much considering the whole tower was supposed to still be closed to everyone, but there may be many more inside. They huddled together in a similar fashion to the guards.

"Okay, herrre's the plan," Hanaa stated. "We use Sneak and Invisible to get by those guards, it'll be easy. Therrre might be more inside though, so we need to be careful. We can meet up in the eastern room, the one with the grrreen water fountain; you'll know it when you see it. Everrryone understand? Good. Let's go team!"

"Wait, wait!" Catherine interjected. "We can't just rush into-

Hanaa had already begun casting her magic. Reluctantly Catherine did the same as Renene prepared herself and Nokum-Akkum. They would not be able to know where each other was now until the magic wore off, though foot prints would still be visible in the snow. That was the point she had wanted to make known to Hanaa before she had rushed off; the guards would (sooner or later) discover the tracks leading into the tower.

She held her breath as she crept past the guards without really knowing why. Thanks to her magic she was making no audible sound and could not be seen, but there was always a risk the magic would fail and wear off prematurely. Picking up speed slightly, she moved under the arched entrance and through a white walled dank passageway. Remembering Hanaa's directions she took the first right and followed it round, eventually coming to a room with a small fountain spraying a green liquid down its front. Just as she was about to concentrate and manually cancel the effects of the spell she heard footsteps approaching. It might have been one of the others whose Sneak magic had worn out faster than the others but she could not take that chance.

Suddenly she realized that the approaching footsteps were coming from further round the eastern path and not from back the way she had come. Someone else was coming. She listened closely as she backed up to the fountain. It was not just one person, it was a group. She could not move her gaze from the eastern corner where they would soon appear and there was still no way to know if any of her friends were next to her.

A group of Duchy Guards appeared, walking in strict fashion with a Hume leading in front. The Hume had short cut black hair and a stern look on face despite being quite young. Catherine recognised him instantly as Captain Wolfgang of the Duchy Guard, but knew she could not just suddenly appear out of nowhere despite the invitation. Being caught within the tower without answering the letter would be a very difficult situation.

In the middle of the fountain room Wolfgang raised his hand to signal a halt. Like clockwork his soldiers obeyed and awaited his orders. The captain of the Duchy Guard paused. Suddenly he shot to the side with an elbow outstretched while his other hand tugged his short sword from its sheath. His elbow met with Catherine's upper chest, forcing her against the wall next to the fountain and cancelling her magic in the process. She gasped and was instantly winded as he held his elbow tight while raising his blade.

"Trespassers would be wise not to wear such potent perfumes if they wish to remain undetected," Wolfgang stated. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Wolfgang moved his head slightly as the blade of a rapier appeared next to it.

"Do something stupid and you'll lose an earrr, kid Captain," Hanaa purred.

As the soldiers drew their weapons to advance a green summoning circle appeared in the floor. The glorious avatar of Wind, Garuda, burst through it and out stretched her hands in defence, creating a swirling breeze. Renene appeared behind shifting from side to side happily. Nokum-Akkum appeared next to her with twin axes drawn. Wolfgang looked round as best he could and lessened the pressure he was applying.

"Answer my question," he insisted.

"My name is…Catherine…you wrote a letter to me…" she struggled to say.

"I wrote no such letter and I do not know who you are."

Doing her best to reach a pouch on the back of her belt, Catherine produced the letter than she had received. Wolfgang let go of her fully and took the note to read. His face turned to one of anger as he did. A moment later he turned to his men and ordered them to sheath their weapons. They obliged without a word. He returned the note.

"I didn't write the note and neither did the person it claims to be written by, as I assume you already know given who you all must be. I know what this letter refers to however and am forced to comply. You men return to Jeuno as planned, I must take these people elsewhere. And warn the team watching the entrance that I will be having a talk to them later about alertness."

Wolfgang waited until his soldiers had gone and motioned for them all to follow him. After de-summoning Garuda they followed. Not far round the eastern corner they came to a thick white door which must have been where the soldiers had come from in the first place. Touching a secret switch, Wolfgang opened the gate and told them all to follow him down a long series of stairs. At best guess, Catherine put them a considerable distance underground by the time they had reached the last step.

What awaited them was an amazing site. It looked like the Celestial Nexus on Tu'Lia though bathed in a purple glow emitting from a thin line of energy travelling between two bulky points in the centre of the large chamber. They were within the core of the tower, the heart of the power that had teleported them to Tu'Lia. The purple beam of light seemed to resonate with the room, causing it to shake and an alarm someone to sound out. Ancient Zilart technology was at work here.

"It's a puppetaru thing!" Nokum-Akkum yelled and drew his weapons.

At a complicated looking console was a figure dressed in the Armathrwn Society black and blue hooded cloak punching away and buttons. He glanced over as if knowing he had been spoken about, revealing a bony chin and beady eyes. Whoever he was, it was not one of the puppet assassins that had been sent after them in the past. Wolfgang ordered Nokum-Akkum to lower his weapons.

"He is from the Armathrwn Society and is trying his best to stabilize this structure before another energy outburst. The first was some weeks ago that coincided with…those events. It killed the last of the traitors in the process; these people are on our side. She probably wrote you this letter because she believes you may have learned something about this technologies operation on Tu'Lia. Try and help them, lest this whole tower come crumbling down."

"Wait, who are you referring to? Who sent me that letter?"

Wolfgang grew angry, "There isn't time for explanations! I was on my way to try and get help when it looked like another explosion was imminent. Now try and help them! If it's going to happen the same as last time we don't have long!"

Answers would have to wait. She rushed towards the control panel that a society member was trying to maintain. But as she reached it the intensity of the beam seemed to double and grow causing another rumble, this time longer and deeper sounding than before. The room shook and she dropped to her knees.

"No!" Wolfgang shouted. "It's too late!"

A shockwave spread from the purple beam as it seemed to expand. As it caught her, Catherine was thrown towards the far side of the room, as was everyone else as it hit them. As she came to a painful stop, she saw Wolfgang's body flung sideways next to her. At the far end of the room other society members too close to the blast had been twisted like rag dolls and lay dead on opposite walls.

There was a moment of blackness. Maybe it was more than a moment, maybe it was a few minutes, or an hour, or more. However long had past, Catherine managed to open one eye fully, but the other seemed sluggish. Her body hurt. Looking down, she could not see any blood, though she tasted it in her mouth. She managed to get onto her knees and supported herself with her hands on the floor but that was it, standing was beyond her at that moment. Nearby she saw Nokum-Akkum and Renene lying motionless. She could not see Hanaa. As she turned to look for Wolfgang at her other side she stopped as her gaze passed the core.

Wolfgang stood in the centre of room before where the purple beam had been holding his arm that had been smashed into the wall. A thin green trail of energy now connected to lower and upper sections of the core and had now bathed the room in that colour. At his feet appeared to be a young boy dressed in dark blue rags. On either side of the young boy were two other people, an Elvaan and a Hume. Her vision began to focus more clearly and she gasped. She tried to stand, tried to move, she fought against her body demanding that it found the strength somewhere that would let her walk.

"Alain! Rost!" she cried.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE: REUNITED

"_Doctor Monberaux, what is the condition of the three subjects?"_

"_No need to be so formal, Wolfgang. All three are in perfect health, so I can find no reason for the coma that they appear to be in. There is no magic at work here and no visible wounds. Where did you say you had found them?"_

"_That's classified."_

"_Without knowing more I cannot cure what has befallen them, old friend. That boy in particular…I cannot put my finger on what, but there is something strange about him. His paleness is unnatural and though his ears may be long he is no Elvaan."_

"_I must report to the palace, keep me posted. Oh, and those…adventurers that I arrived with have permission to see them, but they cannot leave. I will place two men at the entrance to your hospital."_

-

Finally they were back together; they had found Alain and Rost. Yet they could not celebrate as both were hospitalized. In the tower they had not moved after appearing and had made Catherine think that she had been hallucinating. But it was real, they were real. Whatever happened to the tower had brought them back in some reversal to the tower's original purpose of teleportation to Tu'Lia. There was a third person, a young boy, but he was not someone who Catherine knew.

She, Nokum-Akkum, Renene, and Hanna followed Doctor Monberaux to the patient rooms of his hospital in Upper Jeuno. Hospital was a generous description for the place, as in actual fact it was comprised of two old houses linked together next to a church. It was needed during the war and to that day the kind Elvaan helped treat anyone who came calling at his door. Down a long hall past a reception desk they found a passage lined with doors on either side.

"The Hume is in here," Monberaux said, motioning to the third door on the left. "The boy is here in the middle room and that Elvaan is in that room just there," he added, again motioning.

"You said that they werrre in a coma?" Hanaa queried.

The doctor frowned slightly, "At this time that is the best diagnosis that I can give, yet there are no recent injuries to suggest foul play. Though I must say those two young men had a fair few battle scars so it was hard to tell – war veterans are they?"

Hanna nodded.

"Veterans of war at such a young age…what a troubling time this is. Anyway, I have kept you from your friends long enough. If you need anything please let me know, I will be in the front room."

Catherine found it hard to stop her hand shaking as she twisted the knob on the door to Alain's room. Anticipation and fear made for a difficult combination. A quick glance behind her confirmed everyone was following her and just as eager. Part of her felt guilty that Alain was more important to them all than Rost was. It was no wonder he had turned on them. With a sigh, she entered.

A lonely long bed with white sheets and matching pillows was up against the far wall with a medicine cabinet opposite and two chairs with a table. Lying in the bed with the sheets pulled up to his chest and an arm at each side above them was Alain, looking as though he was sleeping peacefully. They all approached slowly now, equally afraid. At the edge of the bed Catherine hesitated once more before clasping one of his hands in hers. He felt cold, too cold. His chest moved up and down in gentle rhythm to his slow breaths confirming he was alive, but he would not wake up.

"Alain!" Nokum-Akkum suddenly shouted right next to his ear, giving everyone a fright.

After they had calmed down and Hanaa had smacked the Tarutaru round the back of the head with her hat, they all returned to staring at their friend who had not reacted at all. Hanaa declared that some type of magic had to be at work if there were no wounds and Catherine was inclined to agree, but what magic? This did not have the marks of white or black magic, so was there a different type forgotten over the ages that only Zilart would know? If that were the case they might never find out how to cure it.

"Hey…" Hanaa said suspiciously, "he's wearrring something on his neck."

It sounded impossible. They had found him with Rost and the boy all wearing identical dark blue rags and nothing more. Unless the doctor had placed it on him in some attempt to cure the coma there was no other explanation for it. Hanaa reached her hand towards the covers partly concealing whatever Alain had round his neck.

"Hanaa, you can't do that!" she protested. "Alain is, well he might be…"

The Mithra smiled slyly, "You're blushing, Cathy. He's still wearing those rags on his lower body. I checked. Now, let's see here…"

Without time to enquire _how_ exactly Hanaa had checked, she pulled the sheets down revealing a strange pendant resting on Alain's bare chest. It was a large gold chain with a blue jewel of some kind encrusted in it. By the looks of it, it had to be quite heavy. As for the type of crystal or gem it could be, it was nothing that Catherine could identify. Renene climbed onto the bed and asked to take a closer look using her Goldsmithing spectacles. Hanna lifted it over Alain's head and handed it to the Tarutaru Summoner (who had quite a trial trying not to drop it).

"Hmmmmmm," she mused while tapping her forehead. "I can'taru figure this thing outaru. Nothing I've ever seen ataru the guild!"

In one fluid motion Alain's hand shot up from the bed, grabbing the pendant as it went, as he sat up and gasped like it was the first time he had breathed. With a squeal Renene toppled backwards off the bed onto Nokum-Akkum. With huge wide open eyes Alain panted for air, frantically looking around in all directions slowly realizing where he was and who he was around. Everyone was speechless.

"What…where…is it…that thing…monster…" he stuttered between gasps. "I saw it…where…Catherine, Hanna, Nokum-Akkum how…?"

Hanna took his shoulder and helped him as Alain shifted sideways out of the bed and let his feet touch the cold ground. He tried to stand but found it difficult; it was like his feet were learning all over again. Eventually he stood straight and did not need Hanna's assistance. He stood before her now; she had forgotten how tall he was for a Hume. There was still a look of confusion on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Hanna asked with a tear in her eye as she patted his back.

"I'm…okay…I don't really remember…"

Catherine slapped him across the face as hard as she could. In his weakened state it almost toppled him completely over. He looked back up at her grasping his face with a look of shock. Hanna steadied him and hissed some surprised curse at her. She felt tears building up in her eyes.

"You tricked us into escaping from Tu'Lia and stayed behind to die! There was no reason for it and yet you still…" she cried. "I'll never forgive you!"

With some help he stood back up fully, with a red skinned cheek that might even bruise. He seemed to be remembering things as he did, remembering how he had convinced them to run from battle and then stayed behind alone and then guessing at how they must have felt afterwards. He could not possibly know how long had past since then yet could tell by all their faces it was longer than it felt to him. He moved closer to her and embraced her with both arms. He felt warmer now but she tried to pull away.

"You broke my heart," she whispered bitterly.

"I'm sorry," he replied.

He pulled back and their eyes met. Suddenly his face turned to one of pure pain as he cried out and fell backwards. With teeth firmly latched into his ankle, Nokum-Akkum tugged him to the floor. Jumping onto Alain's stomach, he punched him twice before Hanna pulled him away. Still furious, Nokum-Akkum kicked out and tried to break free while making frustrated noises. Alain sat up and felt along his lip as blood dripped down it.

"I'm sorry," he said to his friend.

"No!" Nokum-Akkum shouted back. "Sorry isn'taru enough! I still had Cathy and Hanna as friends after Gerdinus leftaru, butaru you were the only family I had and you…" he paused to sniff. "I hate you! Letaru me ataru him!"

Alain lowered his head, "Hanna, let him go."

Doing as she was asked (with some reluctance) Hanna let the angry Tarutaru go. Nokum-Akkum jumped on him again and punched three more times before relenting slightly. He was crying yet still hit his friend again. After the next he slowed down, until eventually he had no strength to throw another. Weeping uncontrollably, Nokum-Akkum let Alain sit up and hold him. Sitting almost like a child, the Tarutaru rested his head on his dear friend's shoulder and cried. Catherine moved a hand close to Alain's bruised face and let her White Magic begin to do its work.

"I'm sorry," Alain said for a third time.

"Stop apologising," Hanna muttered and wiped her eyes. "You two get that out of yourrr system? Don't worrry I won't throw a punch, wouldn't want to kill you right after you came back to us."

He smiled slightly and asked how long it had been. He was shocked at it being just over two weeks since the events of Tu'Lia and claimed to have no memories of after that day other than some vivid dream involving a monster. He was even more surprised to learn that Rost had been found next to him. The boy who had appeared with them was as much of a mystery to Alain as everyone else; it was not someone he had encountered after they had left Tu'Lia. His next question was whether Rost was awake or not. Catherine was hesitant to answer anything on that subject.

Despite once being their ally, Rost had betrayed them and sided with the Zilart. He had used her as bait to draw Alain out all because he wanted to see paradise as well. He had betrayed everyone close to him for that one goal; that is what she believed. He and Alain still probably wanted to kill each other and those acts of betrayal could not be easily forgotten. Though she did not wish any harm to Rost in some act of revenge, she would never feel safe around him anymore.

"My goodness, you are awake!" someone said from the door.

Doctor Monberaux raised a hand to his chest, amazed at the sudden recovery. Asking for a moment, he said he was going to check to see if the other two patients were also awake now. Hanna moved swiftly after him, motioning for the rest of them to stay there for now. Catherine helped Alain to his feet after using her magic on his bleeding ankle. He sat Nokum-Akkum down on the bed and looked over at her.

"I'll make it up to you all," he said, slightly whispering. "I can't explain why I stayed; it just felt like it had to be that way. One day I'll try to tell you… Wait, what about Lion? Did she appear with us? She was there, she…was injured. She did something…I can't remember…"

"Lion hasn't been seen since that day," she replied. "Her father believes she's still alive somewhere but everyone else…well, they thought the same thing about you too."

Alain sighed and looked even more depressed. If Lion had been injured before whatever happened to all of them it probably explained why she did not appear in the tower with the rest. If true, that meant she was truly gone and Alain no doubt now felt responsible for that life.

A commotion down the hall startled them. Hanaa appeared a few seconds later exclaiming that Rost and the boy were gone and that the doctor had gone to check on the guards at the entrance. No sooner had she stepped foot in the room did something feel _wrong_. It was like they were all falling, yet remained motionless. Their gaze was collectively drawn to the medicine cabinet next to the far wall, where a figure appeared. It was the boy from the tower and he was giving off strong magical vibrations, to such a degree that it was altering the space around them.

Without a word the silent boy pointed towards the necklace Alain now held in his hand and then his eyes seemed to shine. There were flashing images of lush white fields with a purple tint and a palace of pure white. Seconds later the beautiful scene vanished along with the boy as the magical feeling evaporated. All was as it had been a few seconds before. Catherine thought she was hallucinating again until the looks on her friend's faces confirmed that they had all seen it as well. With a shocked cry, Hanaa shouted that the boy was in the hall and shot off after him. Catherine gave chase.

Taking a quick corner she caught a glimpse of the boy, yet his figure seemed to fade away. Down the hall he reappeared again, before partially fading _through_ the door out into the street. She caught up with Hanna and they both pushed past the doctor out the front door.

Skidding to a halt they were greeted with a whole group of armed guards all facing the other direction as the boy seemed to flash through them before turning slightly in the street and then disappearing altogether. At the top of the street where shocked residents stood with looks of surprise, Captain Wolfgang, more guards, and two figures dressed in the dark robes of the Armathrwn Society arrived.

With an order to secure the street and to search for the boy, Wolfgang pushed through a gathering crowd with the two society members in close pursuit. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the hospital entrance they stood in. Catherine could now see the society members in detail. One was hooded and a bony chin was all that could really be picked out, but the other had no hood.

He was a Hume that gave off an air of confidence to match any Elvaan. He had dark blond hair tied into a short pony tail and a cold gaze. Over one eye was a device of some kind of unknown origin that he seemed to press at as he glanced around the hospital entrance. Wolfgang moved to his side, observing how tirelessly he seemed to be checking the device against his eye.

"The boy escaped, we will search for him. Is something wrong, Nag'molada?"

The society member smirked, "He is far from this place; call off your pointless search. There is power at work here far beyond the comprehension of your soldiers. There is no mistaking that boy's likeness too…but that is impossible. These are two of the people you mentioned? I must speak to the others that appeared in the tower. We have no time to waste."

Without even considering them, the Hume known as Nag'molada pushed past into the hospital and did not even acknowledge the doctor. They followed close behind and Catherine could not understand how this society member knew where Alain's room was, yet he headed straight for it. Everyone inside was shocked, no less than Alain at seeing the robes he wore and probably would have tried to fight had he not been so weak. Yet more observations were made with the strange eye piece. Catherine noted that the pendant had been hidden away since they left the room.

"So the other two are gone and just this one is left, I can see trace amounts," he said (seemingly to himself). "This is enough; I know where _he_ will go. Wolfgang, prepare an airship – military class. This one here will need to accompany us if my suspicions are correct. You have three hours."

Hanna hissed, "And what makes you think Alain or any of us are going to take orrrders from an Armathrwn Society lackey? Back off, blondy. Alain needs to recover his strrrength so he isn't going anywhere."

Nag'moloda seemed amused, "Perhaps I was not making my _orders_ clear. I see little point in you or this rabble travelling with us, though if this one will not come willingly without you then it must be so. I do not care about your allegiance to your home nation or any ill feeling towards the Armathrwn Society, you _must_ do this."

Wolfgang interjected before Hanna could unleash a barrage of abuse, "This is Nag'molada and he is the chief envoy of Jeuno. He is an expert in many fields and has a greater understanding of this situation than us. What happened in the tower has set a chain of events in motion that, if unstopped, will result in catastrophe."

Catherine asked for details and he declined to answer, saying that it could not be talked about in the open. Nag'molada turned to leave, stating once again that he expected them all to be on an airship within three hours. Wolfgang begrudgingly saluted these orders. As the chief envoy of Jeuno left, he seemed to be whispering something into the ear of the other society member before disappearing out of sight.

"What a crrreep!" Hanna growled.

"Captain Wolfgang," Catherine said, "Is he the man now in command of the Duchy?"

He scoffed but then said, "No comment. But I must obey his orders. I will have equipment and supplies sent here from the Auction House, so rest while you can. Two groups of soldiers will remain on guard so do not try to escape. This building is also warded against teleportation magic should you think of trying that. I will return when the airship is ready to leave."

The good captain left and closed the door behind him, not waiting for any answer or objection. Nokum-Akkum and Renene stood on the bed next to either side of Alain (who sat on it) and seemed to be waiting for a response. She glanced over to Hanna who tipped her hat in her direction and shrugged. No matter what Nag'molada said they still had a choice. They were not in the Duchy's military and did not take orders from him or any other from the palace. They were officially Bastoken citizens and as such within President Karst's jurisdiction.

"Are we going on another adventure-wenture?!" Renene asked with a clap of her hands.

"Looks like it," Hanna said from across the room.

She spoke out, "Hold on! We don't have to stand for this, they can't imprison us here. We've done nothing wrong and we certainly don't have to take their orders! Alain, you need rest, we can't let you go along with that menacing Hume. Let Jeuno worry about that strange boy, we've done our part."

Hanna whistled, "You brrring out her rebellious side that's for surrre, Alain."

Unrelenting, she reiterated that the situation they had been placed in was unjust and against the law. They were not soldiers anymore, they did not have to agree to anything or put themselves in danger for a city that had turned on them. Their time for fighting was over as far as she was concerned. She just wanted to go home, to bring Alain home, so that all of them could live as they had done since the war ended. Was that so much to ask? They had done their part for the world.

"I don't think it's over yet," Alain eventually said. "What started with the Zilart…it's still going on. We haven't stopped anything. I can feel it but I can't explain it. This pendant and that boy are connected and Rost and I are linked by this invisible chain, too. Somehow it all fits. I need to find out why, why all this happened in the first place. I need to know what the Zilart were scared of."

"Scared?" she asked.

"Emptiness. They were running from Emptiness. I don't know what that is, but Nag'molada may. I won't be able to move on until I understand. I know I don't have the right to ask this, I know you probably all just want to go home, but…will you help me? Help me see this through to the end?"

Renene jumped up and down in happiness at another adventure to go on, Hanna meowed in agreement. If Catherine were to try and force Alain to change his mind she would be no better than Nag'molada ordering him around, so she could make no reasonable objection. She did not want to part ways with Alain so soon after getting him back but at the same time feared another meeting with Rost that might end in battle. Reluctantly she nodded which instantly seemed to relieve him. Nokum-Akkum crossed his arms and huffed.

"I promise I won't leave you alone again," he insisted to his friend.

The Tarutaru huffed again, "You better notaru, if you do I mightaru break something!"

With an exclamation of "Cheer up!" Renene slapped Nokum-Akkum on the back, shoving him off the bed and face first onto the floor. The Tarutaru Warrior muttered an inaudible curse as he picked himself up off the ground and glared up at Renene, who smiled contently. The doctor appeared again at that moment explaining that some items had already arrived and they needed to come collect them. Hanna volunteered and suggested that Renene go along to assist (who happily agreed).

"That Summoner annoys me!" Nokum-Akkum moaned after they had left.

"Looks to me like she likes you," Alain commented.

The reply was swift, "You _would_ say thataru. She's evil-wevil and no one else can see itaru! She's a Jeuno spy or something! Her mission mustaru be to injure me any chance she getarus. They know I'm strongestaru! Evil!"

Catherine messed Nokum-Akkums hair up with her hand and sighed at him. He just could not see it. Even if it was just friendship that Renene wanted from him, he would not give that. Still, she was not picking the best possible ways to get responses from him considering his rather fiery temper for a Tarutaru. It probably came from training to be a Warrior despite the racial stigma surrounding doing just that. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Galka who chose to pursue magic were also looked down on (metaphorically, at least).

A brief silence followed before Alain thought of more things that he wanted to know. First he wanted to know what happened to the Kindred army marching on San d'Oria and was glad that it had been stopped. Next he wanted to know about the Highwind and her crew, though she could not give a lot of information on that front. Then he wanted to know about the Gentlemen Thief and that had caused her to stop and think. She had heard _nothing_ about that Elvaan, nothing at all. She was not even sure if he was found still on board the Highwind after it was recovered from Qufim Island. Cid had never mentioned him either; it was as if he had vanished off the face of the planet.

"Slipped away again did he?" Alain smiled. "Figures..."

_If I didn't know better I'd think you were happy to hear that, Alain…_

"Oh!" Nokum-Akkum blurted out. "Gerdinus leftaru something behind for you! We need to go back to the mansion soon. Cathy, shhhhhh, it'll be a surprise!"

"…It would have been more of a surprise had you not have said anything at all!" she pointed out.

The Tarutaru paused a moment to think, "…Oh yeah."

"I wish I'd have gotten a chance to say goodbye to him. He led us through some tough scraps in the Northlands during the war. At least he'll still be alive, I guess. Galkan rebirth always confused me. Well next time Hanna drags me to an all night drink session at the Steaming Sheep we'll toast to his memory and new life."

Alain was doing his best to hide how sad he was that their leader had moved on. But as he said it was not the end, Gerdinus would live on far longer than any of them would in one way or another. The Galkan race was truly mysterious and their history was eventful from the times they were chased from their birth place of Altepa by the Antican Beastmen. The memories of their travels, adventures, and experiences would pass to the Talekeeper at the very least.

There was something playing on her mind now that she could not ignore. They still had not spoke about Rost or what had happened on Tu'Lia between them. Only she knew that they came to blows and that she had been used as bait by their former comrade. She had never told any of them all the details. But now both of them were back and another meeting was inevitable she had to try and see where it would lead.

"Alain, what happened to you and Rost up there? After…_that.._. When you were left behind, did he find you?"

He did not pause, "I don't remember what happened; only that he was there."

_You're lying, Alain._

"We don'taru need Rostaru."

Alain looked at her suggesting that he was trying to work out how much she was willingly to reveal about what happened. Clearly he did not want the rest of their friends to know of their battle that nearly resulted in them both killing each other though the reason for that could be any number of things. She relented in asking more about Rost, but only for now. If Alain did not want to talk about it in front of the others then she would have no choice but to confront him in private. Without a polite knock at the patient room door, Hanna and Renene appeared with hands filled with items and clothes.

"We'rrre back!" the Red Mage shouted.

-

The surface of the northern ocean seemed to burn a pale purple. A cut spread through the waters parting the land and revealing a dark trench. From the end of this trench rose a blinding white light that spread into a glistening pillar. It touched the skies, pierced the clouds, and shook the world around. A mammoth sized winged beast shot from this pillar high into the sky, grateful at being freed. Its jaw opened, revealing a full set of razor sharp teeth as it roared and the white pillar vanished. This monster hung in the air, its huge wings swaying in symmetrical motions to keep it aloft. It surveyed its surroundings and sniffed the air. Turning towards the nearest land mass it let out another intimidating roar.

"Children of Vana'diel, thy time has come!"


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR: CRYSTAL CRAGS

Rost descended from the teleportation panel cautiously. The only light in the chamber beyond flooded out from a gigantic blue crystal held in a white pedestal that matched the design of the technology found on Tu'Lia. He had found his way to this room with unseen guidance provided by an unknown party. He knew neither how he found himself at the Crag of Mea, nor how the crystal outside had shattered. The crystals used to link teleportation magic to had survived fire and bombardment and seemed invincible, yet something had caused one of them on the outer parameter to break.

The giant blue crystal was emitting a pleasant hum that was almost inaudible despite his Elvaan ears. It seemed to be preserving an ever present sense of warmth in the chamber. This was not the work of any race born on Vana'diel, of that he was certain. What lay before him was the work of a God. With another step closer he paused as the hum seemed to fade completely.

Before the blue crystal appeared a boy in dark rags that he somehow felt he knew, though he could not say from where. The boy glanced at him with passive eyes as his hand touched the crystal. As if caused by merely touching it, the crystal began to lose all colour and the room was darkened as all light was stolen. As he moved towards the boy, Rost paused as he saw something sliding down the wall on his left. On his right he saw similar movement. Black ooze seemed to be flooding into the room, tainting the white stone. It began to collect at his feet but he did not move. He looked to the boy.

"So, this is the Emptiness?" he asked rhetorically.

The boy lowered his hand and began to fade away.

"But who does that make you?"

The boy vanished completely.

"Your part remains a mystery then, for now. No matter how much time has past I know now that it is not over. I am not free. I am still your emissary…Promathia."

As the black ooze stretched up his body, he was granted a vision from times long since past. He saw three Dawn Maidens as they were in life discussing a terrible battle between Gods that would bring about Vana'diel's end. As history played out before him, he watched and was enlightened.

-

Alain shook his head. A sudden wave of pain had struck him as well as a collection of images. He saw a white room stained black, Dawn Maidens, and a strange boy. There was more, something important, but a strange black substance seemed to obscure everything. The pain past and everything seemed to return to normal. He steadied himself on the railing of the airships deck.

The Highwind had been fast, but the elite military class airships of Jeuno's air force were even faster. They were built streamlined, very little cargo space, and moved through the sky easier. Of the military class ships they were on the smaller variety, a quick red assault ship meant for swift bombing runs. It had a single cannon mounted to its front above a small pilot deck that had a ninety degree field of vision directly ahead. The cannon did not use conventional ammunition and instead fed off power emitted from the crystal engine that hummed contently in the bowels of the airship below his feet. Judging by the landscape around them, they were currently moving at best speed across the Pashhow Marshlands.

They had left Jeuno two hours and thirty six minutes after Nag'molada had made his orders known and since then had been flying without incident for at least another two. They were taking a direct route across sky that public transport ships would travel through so the urgency was obvious. It would be easy enough for their ship built for fast manoeuvres to avoid a transport ship, but it would more than startle any pilot not paying as much attention as they should.

"Whataru you doing up here?" a voice asked from the stairs leading into the ship.

He nodded to Nokum-Akkum, "Just getting some fresh air. You haven't come to hit me again, have you? Catherine's magic didn't make the bruising completely vanish from the last time, not to mention I think my ankle might have a scar!"

His friend walked up to him.

"Maybe."

The fact that Alain could even mention what happened in jest, without Nokum-Akkum going silent or backing down, confirmed for him that things between them both were healing. He got what he deserved and had no ill thought against the Tarutaru (though if his ankle really did scar that would add another to his running total that he would prefer stayed as low as possible). Noticing that Nokum-Akkum was clearly irritated by the high side the military airship had, he helped him up into a groove that he could stick his feet in to allow him to see over the side.

"The air smells bad," he muttered. "We mustaru be…Marshlands! Right?"

He nodded.

"I'm so smartaru."

Both their attentions were drawn briefly as a soldier walked up on deck and to the upper observation area, clearly under orders of some kind. It looked like pointless busy work to Alain, but he did not bring it up with the unfamiliar Ducal Guard. Looking back down, he saw that Nokum-Akkum had silently decided to take the short sword Jeuno had _kindly_ provided him with from where it hung on his belt and was trying to swing it around in both hands.

"This Great Sword is heavy-weavy…" he grumbled before dropping it.

The supplies that they had been promised did not turn out to be much. He wore basic grey plate armour from the neck down that looked like it could not have cost more than one hundred Gil for the whole set. A helmet had been provided which matched the set but a rather disturbing plant that seemed to be growing inside it put him off trying it on. The chest plate was at least one size too big and made moving uncomfortable, and if he were to try to run the boots would probably come off.

The short sword he had been given was of slightly better quality, possibly a standard issue one giving to soldiers in Jeuno's military. Thought its quality was better than his armour there was still a problem. It had been a considerable length of time since he had trained using one and even then it paled in comparison to the time spent using the weapons of a Dark Knight. Not since his days training alongside his friend as a Warrior had he even picked up a short sword. Picking it up from the deck, he attached it onto his belt once more.

"The meeting is about to start, you both need to come below deck," said the soldier that had been to the observation deck as he was returning below.

They followed to the room playing host to the meeting, which looked more like a barracks for soldiers with the beds and chests moved elsewhere. Behind a desk sat Nag'molada looking over papers and touching the eye piece he seemed never to take off. Captain Wolfgang stood nearby with two soldiers. His other friends were already there standing about. As he and Nokum-Akkum joined them Nag'molada seemed to notice and stated that the meeting was now commencing. Yet after saying that, he paused and looked at Wolfgang as if expecting something.

"What is it?" the young captain asked.

"This is information that will not be heard by commoners. Send your soldiers elsewhere. These others are with the one we require and have been to Tu'Lia so they may at least grasp some of what I am about to say."

To the visible anger and astonishment of the two soldiers, Wolfgang motioned at them to leave the room. They complied and closed the double doors behind them, sealing them all in and giving them the privacy that Nag'molada seemed to require before saying anything else. With an arrogant wave of his hand, Nag'molada motioned that Wolfgang should stand next to them all. Though the captain said nothing he did not hide his feelings on being ordered well, yet still did as he was told and stood next to them.

"I'm going to keep this brief," the envoy of Jeuno began.

_I somehow doubt that_, Alain retorted inwardly.

"I may use terms that you are unfamiliar with but I do not have the time to simplify things. Discuss it amongst yourselves afterwards to fully understand, if you must. I also must make it clear that what is said here should not be made public. It would cause panic and only further impede me. Since you have kept the Archduke's demise secret at least this long and you're supposed to be _champions_ I presume a small amount of trust can be placed in you."

He paused to enjoy their collective looks of surprise that he seemed to know who they were and their part in what happened on Tu'Lia, despite the fact that they believed that their identities had remained secret even after all that happened due to Bastok revealing nothing to Jeuno and vice versa.

ng again,ve looks of surprise that he seemed to know who they were and their part in what happened. next

"Oh, don't look so shocked, the society is far more knowledgeable than you can possibly imagine. We are not as incompetent as the Ducal Guard appears to be. We know all about each of you. Now then…"

The first point of business the Hume had was to point out to occurrences that seemed to happen at roughly the same time as the events at the hospital in Upper Jeuno. The first was a parting of the sea over a few malms and unconfirmed sightings of a winged beast appearing from the rift. The second event was that all teleportation magic seemed to fail for an unknown reason. Rather than go into detail about why the teleportation magic would not work he brushed over it and moved on without pause.

Next he stated that the boy they were chasing was dangerous and had to be stopped. His goal, according to Nag'molada, was to visit each ancient crag scattered across the land in order to steal the energy from a Mother Crystal inside it. Even with so much new information to think about he continued without mentioning a motive or how exactly he was planning on stopping the boy. After another press of his eye piece he confirmed that they were already too late to save one, and quite possibly two, of the crystals. He then revealed their destination to be the Crag of Dem.

With that he walked straight past them towards the door, blissfully ignoring any questions being asked. Wolfgang muttered something Alain could not quite hear before following and closing the doors behind, leaving them alone. Hanna was the first to speak next, but only to swear about how irritating she found Nag'molada to be. Alain tried to think through what they had been told but he could not make sense of it. It was as if he knew that it was not true. There was more, something that was being hidden from them.

"…A Mother Crystal hidden inside the crag?" Catherine questioned out loud. "Those that believe in the crystals are taught that there was but one Mother Crystal from which all life was created and that when they die they return there. For him to so flippantly declare that they are real and that there are at least three…"

Hanna shrugged, "True or not it sounds a lot to me like he is planning on killing that kid we're chasing. You lot okay with that? Sounds rotten to me. What's the kid done really? Nothing. That's what."

Catherine frowned, "Nag'molada believes that if we stop this boy we will prevent something from happening. He is being judged on what he will do, not what he has done."

The only retort Hanna could think of was an annoyed huff. Alain was not sure how he felt. There was something strange about the boy but he could not fully understand why that was. Ignoring his abilities, it was his sudden arrival beside him and Rost in the tower after the second explosion. Wherever they had been pulled from had brought the boy with them. Was this their fault? Without knowing more about the role he had been forced into he could not be sure, but it seemed like he and Rost had been the catalysts for far too many things.

It all began when they fought in the snow covered hills of Xarcarbard. Something was past onto them on that day. He had been given a darkness that, upon touching the Shadowlord, brought fourth his deeper abilities. Rost had been given a brilliant light that was channelled through his Great Katana as if in direct contrast. Alain had been called the Emissary of the Dawn but was that really true? Perhaps _he_ was the one who had been chosen to set the chaotic events in motion and Rost was the one meant to stop him and become saviour of the world. No matter which way he looked at it, both theories still did not factor in the enigmatic boy.

"Alain, what do you think we should do?" Catherine asked.

"I…I don't know. Nag'molada may be a member of the same group that the Archduke controlled but through all his arrogance it still seems to me like he believes what he says. That boy…he gave us a vision at the hospital. You all saw it, right? Those strange white fields… I don't know what he was trying to tell us. Until I can speak to him I won't make up my mind."

Hanna purred, "_You_ might not have made up your mind but _blondy_ sure has. Chances are as soon as he sees that kid he'll order the kid captain to kill him. That was my point before. I didn't mean were one of us going to do it, I meant are we going to stand by and let them do it."

He had to speak to the boy, only then would his questions be answered. More firmly than before he reiterated this fact and Hanna agreed. They would not let Nag'molada act against the boy until they could speak. That might mean upsetting Jeuno by acting in such a way against its envoy and captain but there was no other choice. Considering the secret they were keeping on behalf of that particular state they would have no moral high ground on underhanded actions.

"Poo!" Renene suddenly exclaimed, resulting in a collective look of confusion. "Mr Ifirit doesn't wantaru to play, neither did Ms Shiva, and now Mr Carbuncle won't come outaru to say hello!"

Catherine knelt down, "Are you saying that your Summoning magic is failing? Strange, allow me to test if my…no, my White Magic appears to be fine. This airship is not fitted with magic dampeners. I'm not sure why you are unable to successfully bring an avatar out."

Nokum-Akkum narrowed his eyes, "Why were you trying to summon something anyway? To attack me?! She wants to attack me!"

Asking his friend to be quiet, Alain raised his hand and found that he could summon a ball of fire in it. His Dark Magic appeared to be working as normal. Hanna found hers to be as effective and quick as ever also. Renene jumped up and down with annoyance before trying again.

Summoners such as her, who had proved themselves before the real things, were granted a blood pact with the legendary avatars to summon and control a lesser version of them in battle for as long as their mind could handle. The power of the summoned being was directly in tune with the latent magical abilities of the user. Given how strong Renene's avatars had appeared to be in the past she was clearly very adept at magic, further shedding confusion on why it had failed now.

Hanna comforted her, "Cheerrr up, sweetie. If something is going wrrrong with teleportation magic it prrrobably is affecting your magic too."

"Hanna may be onto something," Catherine stated. "Although my healing spells are working, the incantations for teleportation are not. But if they are being affected by the same thing then that must mean there is a link between the avatars and the crystals that Nag'molada mentioned. I am surprised that this airship is able to fly given that it is powered by a crystal also."

Nokum-Akkum's face turned pale, "Are we…going to fall from the sky?"

With some reassurance the Tarutaru calmed down and Renene was not as upset given the explanation. Now that there was a brief silence he closed his eyes and listened to the hum of the crystal engine. It sounded normal enough, like any other airship, so it was not being affected. It was then that he realized they were on board a ship that was part of Jeuno's fleet. The engines designed for the military class airships had been strongly focused on by the late Archduke. Given the Zilart's knowledge of some kind of impending doom and the first effects of this apocalypse, it was more than possible they had adapted airship technology to defend against it.

A voice came out of the speaking tube located by the desk, "All hands prepare for air to surface drop."

Alain remembered this term from the war. Only the Highwind had been designed to land on the ground, all others were meant for water docks. The base of military class airships could lower a meter or, so allowing troops to drop onto the ground in swift deployment. They were probably being dropped off directly beside the Crag of Dem and then the pilot would find a body of water to land in until called for. The nearest would be the sea of Zafmlog, opposite the coastal village of Selbina.

Fifteen minutes later they were on the lowest point of the airship standing on the large panel that would soon descend and allow them to drop down. They had made good time from Jeuno, better than Alain expected even after considering how fast the ship was. An alarm sounded and there was the sound of hissing and pistons moved and machine parts clanked. With a fierce shake the panel on which he and his friends, Nag'molada, and Captain Wolfgang stood, began to lower.

It was hard to keep stead as the strong winds of the Konschtat Highlands hit them. They were still quite high up from the grass below even after the panel had descended by its maximum amount. Wolfgang called for them all to drop and lead the way, tumbling as he hit the ground moving. In turn each of them did until only the Tarutarus were left. They both waited until someone was ready to catch them before jumping. The panel they had leapt from then tucked itself back up into the gut of the airship.

As the ship pulled higher into the air Alain became aware of figures already standing around the Crag of Dem not far from where they stood. At quick pace they all ran with some urgency to identify the strangers. As they neared it became obvious that two were on Chocobos whereas the third stood on a pedestal that had once held a crystal at its top that had been a beckon for teleportation magic. Alain soon recognised the mounted figures as Ayame and Naji, two of the Mythril Musketeers. The third person was Chief Engineer Cid, who did not seem happy to see them.

"Now this is an interesting group," Cid declared as they all gathered. "I had a feeling Jeuno would have something to do with this and look what we find, Captain Wolfgang and a society member coming to visit and in a military class airship no less. Fully armed, I assume?"

Wolfgang showed no emotion, "Just what are you implying?"

Cid continued, "Adventurers reported a very strange occurrence and President Karst decided to investigate. Seems like teleportation magic has failed and one of the crystals here has shattered completely. But I get the feeling you already knew that. Is Jeuno going to own up to anything?"

Nag'molada pushed past them all to observe the shattered crystal remains as Wolfgang stepped closer. Ayame climbed down from her Chocobo and stood at Cid's side, as if ready to defend him in case things were about to take a turn for the worst. Naji was about to do the same, until he spotted him. Alain looked away, unsure of what to say. It was the first time they had seen each other since they fought. Naji walked up to him and grabbed both his shoulders before shaking him as if to check he was real.

"Alain, it really is you! I could hardly recognise you in that…awful armour. Anyway, what happened? You vanished, I mean, you really vanished! No one would tell me anything. Where were you? I mean-

Ayame turned her head, "Naji, you are on duty."

He lowered his head and cringed, "Sorry, we can, talk later. I need to show you the scar you gave me! Made me the talk of the barracks, I even heard a story going around that people think I got it fighting off twenty Beastmen."

A throat clearing from Ayame broke him away to stand by her side as Cid and Wolfgang continued to argue over what both of them were doing there. They all seemed blissfully unaware of what Nag'molada was doing, but Alain kept his eye on him. He was running his hand over the broken shards and then touching his eye piece as if collecting information somehow. He was muttering to himself as well, something about the crystal being intact but being unable to directly move there due to the disruption.

"Dark Knight, come here," Nag'molada stated.

Although unhappy about doing as was told by such a person, Alain complied and walked up the white marble steps towards the shattered crystal. He remembered back to the very first earned Cid had sent him on. It was to test a crystal shard found on a Beastman by pressing it against the crystal outside the Crag of Dem. It had been sucked of all energy through some unknown means. He could not help but wonder if what happened all that time ago was one of the first warnings about what was to come.

"Touch the shards," he was commanded.

Picking up a handful of broken bits he half expected something to happen, but it did not. With a tired sigh Nag'molada called him an idiot and then instructed him to take off his gauntlet first. Despite loathing the Hume more and more with each passing minute, he took off one gauntlet and then dropped the pile of shards into his palm. Again there was nothing, but a purple glow seemed to breathe some life back into the shards. Nag'molada looked on with satisfaction.

"Now try to picture a huge crystal, the one located in the heart of this structure. Picture it as clearly as you can and then activate this pad. Do it now."

Cid (now paying attention to them both) called up, "Hold on there! Just what are you trying to make him do?"

Wolfgang moved between Cid and the Mythril Musketeers and the base of the steps while motioning to his friends that they should block the stairs as well. They did so, but only to get closer to him as pictures began to form. He was seeing rooms, chambers, areas of someplace he had never been. They were going by too fast to focus; it was as if they were broken. The glow from the shards increased as did the speed of the flickering images; he could not control what was happening. His heart felt like it was beating three times as fast and he could not breathe.

Faintly, he heard Wolfgang say, "This is official business of the Duchy of Jeuno. The Republic has no reason to be here unless your attendance is called for. Leave at once or face the consequences."

Then everything seemed to slip. Time, space, everything was consumed by white light and the weight of his body disappeared. Those who were talking were distant now and all he could sense was the room he had managed to focus on. A few seconds later he was freed from the control that had taken over and gasped for air. The shards were gone from his hand and he was no longer in the Highlands, there was no breeze from the strong wind.

"Inept idiot," he heard Nag'molada sneer from close by. "You teleported us into the entrance chamber of the crag! This is barely any closer than we were outside, to the crystal inside this structure!"

The room they were in was lit up in a sea blue colour by a series of consoles within two open cylinder shaped stations on either side of a staircase. At the top of the stairs was a huge door with a number of circular markings etched into it. Slowly but surely everyone regained their senses and were equally confused how they had been moved inside the crag. It was then that Alain noticed that Ayame, Naji, and Cid were no where to be seen. They had not been touching the stairs or pedestal outside and must have been out of the area of influence for whatever he had accidentally done.

"Draw your weapons, we are not alone," he heard someone order.

A very faint hum was silenced as the figure of the boy from Jeuno gradually appeared at the base of the steps. He looked at them all in silence with a dead gaze that showed no emotion. Wolfgang was the first of them all to step forwards and draw his weapon. He ordered the boy to place his hands over his head and submit to being placed under arrest. There was no response from the pale skinned boy. Nag'molada shoved past Alain and stood next to Wolfang.

"Fool! Strike him down! He is our enemy!"

"I will not strike an unarmed opponent. We will arrest him and bring him to Jeuno."

Nag'molada sneered, "Captain Wolfgang…you disappoint me. I was willing to believe that you were different to your father, but it seems that is not the case. Would you suffer the same fate? I will only tell you one more time. Strike this enemy down."

At the mere mention of his father, Wolfgang looked troubled and shocked. Alain did not know the relevance but whatever it was; it spurred the captain into action. Thrusting his sword to his side he darted towards the unarmed boy poised to strike. To his surprise, and everyone else's, the boy did not even try to move as Wolfgang's sword stabbed into his stomach.

"No…" Wolfgang uttered, "Why did you not avoid me?"

The sword pulled from the boy's body with surprising ease as Wolfgang stepped back and exclaimed that there was no blood. Still the boy looked on with the same lifeless eyes, unaffected by the attack. Around his feet the white marble seemed to darken before a pool of black ooze opened up and began to spread. The boy raised one hand that made no contact with Wolfgang yet still somehow forced him backwards. The captain flew past them all and into the far wall before falling a meter or so onto the platform at the back of the room. As he found the strength to stand back up the pedestal on which he stood activated itself, teleporting him away. From where he had struck the wall black ooze appeared, bringing down a section of the wall on top of where Wolfgang had stood, destroying the way out.

"We are too late!" Nag'molada shouted. "This crystal is dead!"

Black spots appeared all over the chamber, forcing the group into a tight circle facing all directions with weapons drawn. The boy was gone now, but from the blackness creatures began to appear. They looked like skeletons that had been twisted into bizarre shapes and each had a sphere of elemental energy somewhere on its body, as if powering its actions. They flew through the air despite having no wings and seemed to be stalking them, preparing to strike. Larger creatures appeared that did not float and looked like land beasts of some kind. A huge tongue flicked out from one, as if it was showing that it were hungry.

"What are these things?" Catherine asked as more and more appeared.

"Get ready to fightaru them off!" Nokum-Akkum cried.

"There's too many!"

Alain felt a hand on his shoulder; it forced him to turn around. Nag'molada grabbed him by the neck and pulled him closer. He ordered him to teleport them again. Alain did not understand. Even if he could somehow react to the crag without any shards he could not activate them to teleport them back outside. The society member insisted that he try or that they would all die. He closed his eyes trying to concentrate as all around there were strange whispers coming from the monsters.

There was something; a picture of a place that he did not know. It was not outside of the crag or somewhere else inside it. It was a memory that did not belong to him, of a place he had never been. Regardless of whose memory it was he latched onto it and made the hazy image clearer. There was a city on a rock face overlooking a black ocean. It was in ruins. For the sake of his friends he used this foreign memory as the ooze gathered around all of their feet. As the disgusting tongue of one of the creatures latched onto his arm something happened.

They had teleported once more.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE: DISTANT LANDS

_During the first Crystal War it was said that drastic measures were called for in order to fight off the Beastmen armies of the Shadowlord. For a time it looked as though the free peoples of Vana'diel would lose their struggle. Each and every person was called on to do their part and to suffer through the turbulent times whole heartedly._

_The price paid for victory was greatest for those of the city named Tavnazia. Crushed under an army far superior to their defences, it was thought the land on which the city and its surrounding towns once stood broke away into the ocean, killing both sides to a man, and disappearing into the annuls of history._

_However, there will forever be tall tales told by sailors brave enough to travel near the Black Sea that there is a huge island out there, now stationary but perhaps once adrift at sea. No official inquiry was made into these sightings to prove or disprove their credibility under a ruling made in joint agreement between Jeuno and San d'Oria._

_Though no one would believe them, the tales would still carry from generation to generation of fishermen._

"Maybe they fell from the sky!"

"Don't be silly, they aren't on fire. This one has a hat!"

_Rustle…rustle…_

"What about that one over there?"

"Look at his armour, this guy isn't rich. Wait…there's something…a pendant. It looks like…Oh!"

_Rustle…rustle…_

"Hey, this one with the eye thing is waking up!"

"Escape plan Delta!"

Somewhat groggily, Alain opened his eyes. A grey overcast sky welcomed him, with the occasional burst of lightning rippling through. To his immediate left was a cracked grey rock side. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head as it pounded like something inside was trying to escape. He had landed with a thud that was for sure. Looking around him he was startled to see his friends lying around. They were on dark green grass surrounded by rock on three sides. A quick glance over everyone revealed no injuries, but Nag'molada was missing and so was the pendant that the boy had given him. The first to come round was Nokum-Akkum.

"I fell asleep again?" he questioned through a mumble.

"No, we were knocked out somehow on impact," Alain replied.

It took the young Tarutaru a few moments to realize that they were in fact gone from inside the crag and no longer in immediate danger from the bizarre monsters that had encircled them. With a rub of his eyes just to make sure he was really awake, Nokum-Akkum hopped over Renene to where Catherine lay and poked her side. Eventually she came round and was equally perplexed and what had happened to them all. Next Renene stirred and then tried to summon Carbuncle to assist in healing, but again found that her magic was being dampened somehow.

"Where are we? This is not a part of Konschtat, is it?" Catherine asked.

Alain took another look around, "I'm not sure. It looks similar but… Would a storm that fierce really just come out of no where five minutes after we entered the crag? I thought I knew the Highlands pretty well but I can't place us."

They all took turns looking around the immediate area. There was only one way open to them and it seemed to be a field. They could not move until Hanaa was ready, but then they could try and trace their steps back to the crag (where Cid and the Mythril Musketeer's would hopefully still be) to find out just what happened after Nag'molada had made them teleport from inside the structure.

"Nobody moves a damn muscle!" someone suddenly roared.

Hanaa leapt up from the ground and drew her rapier. She peered at each of them in turn then turned to face the field. She began shouting at the top of her lungs for 'The joker' to come out of hiding before she blasted the area apart. She looked back at them and pointed her rapier towards them all.

"Okay, who's the comedian? Wherrre is it?"

They exchanged glanced.

"My hat! My chapeau! My beloved possession! My precious! Where. Is. It."

Alain looked down at Nokum-Akkum; if anyone had wanted to take the hat it would be him (he liked to put it on and pretend he knew magic). The Tarutaru was already looking up at him with crossed arms huffing at the very idea he would steal the hat from her. It was then that it dawned on him that his missing pendant had to be related and rather than blame each other they should be blaming the thief. Yet why would Nag'molada steal a Warlock Chapeau? Even the reason for stealing the amulet was not apparent or how it had been discovered; he had done a pretty good job of keeping it out of sight from everyone. He shared the fact that the pendant was missing with the others, prompting them to check their belongings.

"Everything seems to be here," Catherine said.

"Maybe he didn'taru have time to search us all, my axes are still here."

Renene looked surprised, "My twelve Gil is gone!"

Hanaa composed herself, "Okay, so let me get this strrraight, just so I know we're all on the same page herrre," the Mithra paused and took a deep breath. "We were all in that crag surrounded by those crrreatures, then Alain here casts magic we can't even use that teleports us somewhere other than to a teleportation crrrystal. Then _blondy_ woke up before all of us, stole some of our gear, and ran off when one of us started to wake up? That about cover it?"

_You can always trust Hanaa to get straight to the point._

It seemed to be the case that Nag'molada had stolen the pendant, but taking the hat and twelve Gil seemed pointless in comparison. No one else was with them and no one was close by as Alain came around, so it could not have been anyone else. Even if he somehow was not responsible, it was a fact that the envoy was missing and they had to track him down. There was more, though Alain did not share that with his friends. The pendant was important, somehow he knew it to be, and so getting it back was a top priority. Doing his best to take charge, Alain drew his short sword.

"Alright, let's try and work out where we are."

Given that they were not sure where exactly they had ended up, they proceeded cautiously out into the open field. The whole area seemed enclosed with the only open path being across at the opposite side. On the left the rock face opened up revealing a steep drop down into dark looking waters below. Alain moved close to the edge and looked over. They could not be anywhere within the Highlands, no section ever touched the sea. The sea water was also too dark and dangerous looking. Becoming dizzy from staring from so far up, he pulled away from the edge and took in the air. It left a taste in his throat that reminded him of being out on a boat travelling the sea, but that did not seem possible.

"What the hell is that?!" Hanaa gasped.

They turned to see a bulky mass coming towards them at speed. It was a thick skinned brown beast of some kind with a large mouth and two mammoth horns. It stomped forwards ripping up the grass below as it shoved its head from side to side. The beast's eyes seemed to glow red as it picked up more speed and seemed to decide that Alain would be its first target. He shouted at them all to move out the way as he backed up to the cliff edge. All but Nokum-Akkum moved, he stayed near his side and readied his weapons.

_It's moving too fast for Stun to grab it, same for Bind. Just wait till it's about to hit you then jump, how hard could that be? Damn, it's moving fast. Time it right or this will end badly!_

Before him appeared a shining blue hexagon that almost faded but was still visible. Catherine had thrown protection magic in front of him to ensure his safety, but in doing so had attracted the monster's attention. It skidded and almost fully rolled over as it turned directly away from Alain and cliff edge and instead charged towards Catherine and the others. Nokum-Akkum threw and axe at it, but its skin was so tough that it just bounced right off.

"Catherine, get out of the way!" he shouted as he ran towards her.

With no where to run, Catherine cast Protect a short distance in front of her to slow the monster down, however with the speed it had built up it smashed through the magical shield as if it were nothing. Alain knew he had no choice and called on his abilities for the first time since he had returned.

-

Catherine shielded her face with her hands and screamed, knowing that she could not avoid the impact. It would kill her outright, or throw her into a rock wall or over the cliff. Something was forced into her, but only gently. She looked over her hand to see Alain hunched over her. A tusk of the beast had torn round his side ripping straight through the weak armour he wore, the other tusk was held at bay somewhat raised, twisting the whole head of the monster sideways, by both his hands. A black aura was around him as well as tiny flashes of red lightning. The monster was still alive however and exerting force, pushing him into her. Hanaa ran up to them both with a hand outstretched and thrust her palm into the side of the monster's head.

"Thunder!"

With a crackle of purple light a beam shot through the beasts head, bursting through the other side in a fountain of blood. The beast groaned, wobbled, and then its legs collapsed. Alain gasped as the black force around him vanished in time with the monster no longer applying pressure. He fell to one knee and held his side. The dark plate he wore over his chest was ruined and the tusk had torn into his side.

Nokum-Akkum ran over to make sure that they were both alive but then tip toed backwards while saying, "I think I gotaru brain on my bootaru…"

She held Alain and began to apply healing to the wound.

"You threw yourself in front of me, why did you do such a foolish thing?" she asked.

He shook his head, "Gerdinus would have done the same."

Hanaa slapped him round the back of the head, "Yeah, but he was a Paladin. Just how did you manage to stop that thing in its trrracks anyway? I didn't know Dark Knights were so strrrong."

To this he did not answer.

After closing the wound and making sure that there was no trace of infection, Catherine was able to examine the monster which had attacked them. At first it was not a family she was familiar with, but then she remembered pictures closely resembling the corpse before them. If it was the same type of creature then it was part of the Bugard family, yet such a species of beast was thought to have been wiped out during the first Crystal War due to where they were native to. She shared her theory with them.

Hanaa rubbed her nose, "Bugard or not, it's dead as a doorrrnail now. The smell coming from it is making my stomach quake. Let's keep moving and see what we can find furrrther in."

With that they eventually did move off further into the strange land mass they found themselves on and came across quite a few bizarre sights. Grass field after grass field surrounded by grey rocks seemed to be all there was at first, but then they started discovering long abandoned ruins of various buildings. Some were stone and silo shaped, as if perhaps once part of a farm, while others looked like they had been town houses. There were also remnants of battlements, watchtowers, and camp sites. It was as if they had walked into a forgotten war zone. Round the next bend they came to a stop as Hanaa spotted movement. They all crouched and moved forward slowly to try and get a look.

"I don't believe it…looks like Orcs," Hanaa whispered. "But we sure aren't in San d'Orian territory."

Nokum-Akkum took up his heavy thinking pose, "Maybe…we are inside Dynamis again?!"

Catherine interrupted, "No, this feels different. This is real."

Hanaa carried on, "Look how those Orcs are moving, they aren't a unit, they arrren't watching out for people to attack, they're just…oh. Look another appeared from the cliff side with something in his hand. It's a crrrab? They were hunting for food? They're moving off out of sight."

Everyone knew that Beastmen had to eat to survive as well, but it was strange they would do so out in the open unless they had been teleported somewhere entirely under their control. Rather than stay and possibly attract attention from any more Orcs in the area, they hugged the rock and followed it around into a tighter turn followed by a thin passage. It opened out into another grassy area, this time with a drop down onto a similar section and just a short distance ahead was an old looking wood bridge to the other side. They approached the bridge.

As they reached the start of the bridge they were able to see down below it to a small stream at the bottom of a steep drop. Lush dark blue flowers spread along one visible bank and the other had a collection of red shelled crabs nesting. Such a variety was rare, usually only found by fishers who were brave enough to take their boats far out to sea. Though the bridge looked very unstable she saw Alain begin to walk over it.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked (rhetorically).

"It's like a fun ride!" Renene cooed as she wobbled onto it, "Justaru don't fall or you'll get a nasty-wasty bump!"

Nokum-Akkum hissed, "She's planning on pushing me off!"

With a gulp, Catherine took a shaky step onto the bridge and held onto the support rope tightly. Heights did not bother her, nor did walking on bridges for the most part, but the wooden one they now all were traversing looked as though it could collapse at any minute. The only way she found to control her anxiety was to close her eyes and breathe deeply with each step. After a few paces in this fashion she opened one eye to check the progress of everyone else and was shocked to see them all at the far side urging her on to hurry up with a collection of grins and smiles on their faces.

"Cathy is scared of heights?" she heard Nokum-Akkum ask as she finally got over.

"I most certainly am not. That bridge was dilapidated! We're lucky it didn't…"

She gave up trying to explain as the smiles turned into subdued giggles from Hanaa and the Tarutarus. She was glad that Alain had the decency not to laugh at her caring about what might happen to them all, though he seemed more distracted by something else.

"Someone's watching us," Alain stated.

Ahead of them they heard a gasp and she managed to catch the side of someone's face disappearing behind a rock. They gave chase and found there to be a cave of some kind a short distance round from where they had crossed. Whoever had been watching them could only have gone inside.

Through the cave they ran, following the echoing footsteps of their spy. The cave opened up into a cavern filled with mounds of rock. Despite the entrance and the short distance they had travelled being almost pitch black, the area up ahead was lit by some unseen source. As they entered this lit area they were quickly surrounded by a group of people with weapons in hand wearing mixed armours, none of which had any kind of seal or marking to identify them. The one that had been chasing was amongst the group now pointing weapons at them. An old Elvaan stepped out from behind a rock wearing gold and blue chain mail that she had never seen before.

"Who are you and how did you end up here?"

Alain spoke for them, "We spotted that Hume watching us and followed him."

The Elvaan frowned, "No, I want to know how you reached this land. Unless you have an airship I cannot fathom how you ended up here, yet none of my scouts reported seeing such a ship."

They were all equally confused, though for different reasons. The ambushers wanted to know how they had come to wherever it was they were and they wanted to know why they were suddenly having swords pointed at them by fellow people. Alain asked them all to sheath their weapons and asked the soldiers around them to do the same. With a nod from the Elvaan they complied.

"My name's Alain. I can't really explain how we got here…actually; we're not even sure where here is. But look, we're not with the Beastmen. We used to be soldiers in the war actually. Most of us here are citizens of Bastok. This is Catherine, Hanaa, Nokum-Akkum, and Renene."

"What do you mean 'the war'? You're too young to have seen the war. Well, at least you're being more open than that other stranger, although you're confusing me even more. That other intruder came waltzing in here like it was normal, right past two guards. He didn't put up a fight when we found him, surrendered straight away, then asked to speak to our leader. Wouldn't tell me anything and didn't mention any others, but it's too much of a coincidence that you're here, so you must know him."

_He's talking about Nag'molada, he must be. So he left us behind and found this place. Does he know where we are? He made Alain bring us here somehow, he must have. But why would he do that? The boy we were chasing was in the Crag of Dem…_

"He is Nag'molada, Chief Envoy of Jeuno and we've been travelling with him."

At the mention of Jeuno the Elvaan seemed stunned. The mention of Bastok before had almost brought about a similar reaction, but not so fiercely. The Elvaan ordered two of the soldiers around them to block the entrance for now, but to allow them to freely move around within the Safehold (as he called it) until he could clear things up with their leader and check on Nag'molada. With that he disappeared at speed away from them with the other soldiers in tow.

"This is getting weirrrder and weirrrder," Hanaa muttered and scratched her head. "We haven't gone back in time, we arrren't in Dynamis, but we don't seem to be on the main land either. Is this an island or something?"

Catherine thought back to all that they had seen, "I believe this is an island, of sorts. But maybe this was not always an island…maybe this place is…but that's impossible, it fell into the sea."

"Whataru you talking aboutaru, Cathy?"

"I need to see more to be sure. Quickly, let's follow that old Elvaan soldier."

Through another passage with walls lined with wooden boards and hanging metal plates they found a huge cylinder shaped area with at least two levels and a wooden bridge going across the centre. The top of the cylinder was open, making the angry sky visible as well as some tree tops. Most surprising of all was it sounded _busy_, as if bustling with people. Sure enough as they looked round and over the edge they saw people going back and fourth carrying boxes, walking around with children, or patrolling. Their group attracted some surprised looks from those close enough and most took a wide birth from them. Hung above the bridge across the centre of the cylinder were four lengthy dark red flags with an emblem that confirmed to Catherine where they were, as impossible as it seemed.

Calling off their attempts at following the Elvaan she asked them to gather and shared her belief about what had happened. Somehow, through what Alain had done, they had been teleported to what had once been land occupied by Tavnazians. During the first war the land on which the capital city of Tavnazia stood, as well as its surrounding burrows and villages, was separated from the main land and was thought to have sunk into the sea. The death toll was in the high thousands, the capital alone had had nine hundred residents and a garrisoned force of soldiers. The Orcs outside now made more sense as well. It was a huge invasion force chiefly led by a ferocious Orc captain that had, with help from the Beastman alliance, successfully stormed the capital. Though most were probably killed as the land separated it would make sense that some survived and had carried on their bloodlines from that day. The same could be said for the families around them now.

"Tavnazia?" Hanaa questioned. "I remember hearrring about it…biggest loss of life in that war, from what I remember. I've hearrrd some shady stories about what happened, but never really paid attention to them."

"Just before we teleported I saw a ruined city on a cliff," Alain said. "That was Tavnazia, what was left of it after the attack anyway. But I never even knew about this, so how did I bring us here? That Elvaan called this a Safehold, I guess they made it to keep out the way of the Orcs roaming around outside."

Everything was fitting into place now. The dark sea they saw over the cliffs where they first arrived confirmed that they were somewhere in the Black Sea, far from their home land. Over the years the broken land must have slowly drifted and eventually came to a stop in the denser waters, or perhaps they were still moving further and further away. The implications these survivors would have, even after so many years, were mammoth. More could be learned about what truly happened to the ruined city. With an inward sigh Catherine then realized she had jumped the gun. How was anyone else going to find out? They were as stranded as the descendants of the survivors of the war were now. Alain did not know how he was able to bring them there and without the influence of whatever inside the crag had spurred him on it was not likely he could simply move them again.

"Over therrre!!" Hanaa cried and pointed.

Round the corner to the left appeared three Tarutaru of moderate height for their race and seemed quite young. One, a girl, had blue hair tied into pigtails and a blue dalmatica to match. Another wore armour that looked meant for a soldier and had green messy hair. The third wore a red vest and strands of red hair were visible under a Warlock's Chapeau that was clearly far too large for his head. The green haired Taru pulled back with shock as he spotted them.

"Escape plan Sigma!"

Taking off back the way they came, the three Tarutaru teens ran as fast as their legs would carry them. Instantly Hanaa was giving chase and pushed past Catherine, who tried to tell them all to stop. Failing once more to calm everyone down, she was forced to chase after them as well as Alain and the others joined in.

At the next bend the blue haired Tarutaru took a sharp left into a passage while the two boys kept going around the cylinder. Renene skipped after the girl while they continued after the others. At the next junction the green haired Tarutaru took the turn, forcing Alain and Nokum-Akkum to head that way as well. Just as she caught up with Hanaa, the Red Mage stopped and held out her hand. Through the gaps in the stone making up the struts keeping the cylinder in place they watched the red haired Tarutaru continue to run right round the circumference, eventually ending up back where they had first started chasing them. Hanaa tugged her just behind one of the struts and motioned to keep quiet. They waited patiently for the increasing tired Tarutaru to almost pass them by. Just as a red blur appeared, Hanaa stuck out her foot.

"That hurt! My foot! Owwwwwwwwwww!!" the Tarutaru moaned.

Hanaa cracked her knuckles, "If you don't give me my hat back, I can do a lot worse."

On the verge of tears, the hat thief returned her chapeau before sitting down on the floor and crying, drawing the attention of passers by. Just then Alain and Nokum-Akkum appeared with the green haired Tarutaru between them who was fiercely trying to escape. They shoved him over to the other thus spurring him to join in with the crying. Renene appeared not long after, dragging the blue haired Tarutaru by the ear. Soon all three of the little thieves were sat together, balling their eyes out. More and more people were looking on yet none said anything.

"Crying doesn't change the fact that they are thieves!" Hanaa shouted at the crowd.

Catherine felt guilty, "Yes, but, they are just children…"

"I got my twelve Gil back!" Renene happily confirmed.

While they were distracted by the gathering crowd it had not dawned on any of them that the crying Tarutarus had all stopped.

"Escape…plan…Alpha!"

Before they could move, all three Tarutaru had vanished down the nearest passage. Catherine expected them to chase again, but Hanaa and Renene seemed quite content that their belongings had been found. Alain, however, confirmed that none of them had the missing pendant. Through the crowd someone pushed their way, ordering everyone to get back to what they were doing. A Hume with a tattooed face wearing armour that matched the Elvaan's strode forwards.

"I could hear the irritating wails of those Cherukiki siblings from the upper level. By the sounds of it, they stole some of your possessions. I apologise on behalf of the Safehold, they are always causing trouble."

"My hat is back, all is right with the world," Hanaa smiled contently.

"Regardless, I shall make sure that they punished. My name is Justinius. I suppose you can think of me as the commanding officer around here, as far as the soldiers go. And you are our other visitors claiming to be from the main land. I had the…pleasure of meeting the person you claim to be an envoy of Jeuno a short while ago.

_If those three Tarutaru did not take the pendant then does that mean it really was Nag'molada who stole from Alain? Or did those troublemakers pass it onto someone else? We're lost and without assistance from any nation…we need to decide for ourselves what we're going to do._

Justinius pointed to the upper level of the Safehold, "Come, I will introduce you to our leader, he is waiting for us in his chambers. Hopefully then we can get to the bottom of just what is going on here."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX: THE ABHORRENT ONE

It was difficult for Alain to imagine just how hard it was for the survivors of the war, stranded on what had once been the land protected and owned by the city of Tavnazia. To fall into the sea and be forgotten was bad enough, yet they had been stranded with the survivors of a terrifying Beastman army as well. Though the army protecting the city had been entirely wiped out, the people of surrounding burrows had managed to flee into well hidden locations. Some were lucky, but others were not.

Most of the Beastman army was lost, only Orcs and Gigas remained as well as some magical siege equipment, but there was enough for them to control what the inhabitants of the Safehold referred to as the Tavnazian Archipelago. Over the years the Safehold grew from a tiny cave into something resembling a town. There was just enough room for the survivors and their subsequent families. Those with training became the Safehold Guard and made sure the Beastman did not attempt to attack them.

Despite knowing of the Safehold, the Beastman apparently did not seem to care about them any longer. They were left to exist just as the monsters themselves probably had to. If a child or some foolish person were to go out alone and travel too far into sections of the island considered their territory, the Orcs would attack, but other than that they lived as two separate entities on the same floating rock. The animals left behind continued to breed and multiply providing reasonably stable food supplies as well as the exotic fish found so far from large land masses and popular fishing routes. Drinking water came from rainfall or produced from Water Crystals.

After trying and failing to try and get a rough idea of how many people currently lived in the Safehold, Alain had given in at a rough estimate of one hundred. It was probably more than that, but not by much. Now he found himself watching the people go about their days while waiting for the final clearance to be given to whoever was in charge of the Safehold.

He had noticed that there were not many Tarutarus in the Safehold. Those he asked had agreed and usually mentioned the three troublesome siblings that he and his friends had had a run in with and a merchant but that was it. Strangely, the merchant and the three children were not related meaning the three were probably war orphans.

For someone who seemed eager for them to meet the leader, Justinius seemed to be taking his time talking inside the chamber barred by a thick rounded wooden door. An Elvaan guard with a spear across his back stood in front of it with his arms folded making sure none of them could barge in. Alain wondered if this was because Nag'molada was in there already, but it did not seem likely.

"This is taking too long," Nokum-Akkum muttered from beside his foot.

Alain looked down, "We can't really go looking around without permission. Oh, and would you please stop standing so close, I'm going to fall over you one of these days."

"No! I'm notaru letting you move anywhere withoutaru me."

A playful push from behind very nearly made him fall from the ledge he stood on overlooking a trail down to a lower level of the Safehold. Hanaa quickly apologised and made some excuse about not knowing her own strength and that he was off in his own little world again. Nokum-Akkum asked if she had been getting ideas from Renene before stating that they should move away from the side. For once Alain was in agreement, he had enough on his mind without his friends accidentally pushing him off high ledges.

"Everyone, come here for a moment," Catherine said to them all.

Gathering around like a Ballista team ready to discuss tactics, they huddled round Catherine as she explained what she wanted to talk about. What was going to happen to them was playing on her mind, specifically how they would return to the main land. As he was about to explain that he did not know how he had teleported them, she stated that she believed she knew how.

"I think that eye piece that Nag'molada wears acts as some sort of recording device and perhaps more, but when he passed me in the hospital before all this happened I swear that I saw a small amber Linkpearl built into the side casing. I believe he has been communicating with people in Jeuno, maybe the society. Even at this distance the connection will still probably be working, which means he has most likely already informed Jeuno about this place."

If it were true that Nag'molada had been hiding a Linkpearl from them, then it was likely that he had already requested assistance from Jeuno and retrieval so that he could continue his hunt for the boy. The magic linking any pearl created from a Linkshell has to the shell is extremely strong ancient magic that seemed to have no limit to functioning range. Thinking about such things made Alain remember that, although his had been lost during his disappearance, the others still probably had the Linkpearls created by the shell they had used while travelling on the Highwind. Their problems would have been solved had the Highwind still been manned.

"You're worrried about what Jeuno is going to do, arrren't you?" Hanaa asked.

Catherine nodded.

"Cathy, they wouldn't be stupid enough to…well…_silence_ these people to cover up any misdeeds from the war. All allied nations would be as guilty of anything as Jeuno anyway. They might evacuate them, orrr help secure this place, orrr open trade routes, who knows?"

"I just feel that we should not be placing our trust so readily in Jeuno," Catherine said solemnly. "The society is no better than the Archduke, if they rule Jeuno now through some figure head who knows what they will do? We need to find some other way back, so the other nations will know."

Catherine was trying to cover all bases. If they somehow got back to the main land through their own means and informed Bastok, the existence of the Safehold could be made public and thus protect the inhabitants from any _clean ups_ that Jeuno might consider. Alain had heard no bad word against Jeuno from those he had spoken to, so it did not seem like there was any animosity from that end. Yet that did not mean that if Jeuno assumed they knew of something which happened during the war, that in fact they did not, they would try to cover it up.

"Butaru even if Jeuno is up to no good, how are we going to getaru home?"

Catherine took out a Linkpearl, "This is Catherine …is anyone there?"

There was a brief moment, just a few seconds as they stood in silence, where Alain actually believed that someone would answer. He would have settled for hearing Pops in all his overzealous shouting glory at that point. Yet there was nothing. Catherine returned the pearl into the pocket of her top she kept it in and sighed dejectedly. Alain thought back for a moment, to try and pick out how he had managed to teleport them on that second occasion, to try and somehow bring about another-

"Whammph? I fffinnf I herathhh somethinttttt!" an extremely muffled voice said.

They looked in Catherine's direction. She blinked twice and then looked down at her chest, realizing that the sound was coming from her. Taking out the Linkpearl once more she again asked if anyone was there and, to their collected amazement, they heard a voice answer back in a low crackly tone.

"Yes, I heard you! It's the White Mage, what was her name again? Look, just sit still, stop being so excited, and act your age kid. Yes, I'm here. Stop with the gasping already!" Pops said. "I knew I heard something, I was telling my good for nothing son just now. _I heard a voice_, I said. _You're going senile_, he said. I knew though-

"Eh, Pops," Alain interrupted. "Where are you? How did you know?"

"What? Oh. Cid arrived with some musketeers all panicked, told us to sit by the pearl and wait for word. He said something about you going missing and that you could be anywhere and that you'd probably try and use the pearl sooner or later. I had Samuel get the Highwind ready for launch just in case."

Cid's ability to plan ahead never ceased to amaze him.

They did their best to quickly explain everything that had happened and what to pass on immediately to President Karst. When it came to trying to describe where they were that proved more of a problem. They knew where the land had originally broken off and that they were somewhere in the Black Sea, but that was all. Pops was not discouraged and almost seemed excited at the prospect of flying the Highwind through the well renowned turbulent skies above that particular ocean.

Even if they could find the Tavnazian Archipelago, Pops and Samuel would need clearance (or, at the very least, Cid's permission to go on a _secret mission_ without the President's consent) in order to come and pick them up. If it was not possible for the Highwind to find them they had, at the very least, made the Safehold's existence known to people outside of Jeuno's jurisdiction and that was enough for now.

A call from Justinius at the door into the chambers of the Safehold's leader surprised them all. With a quick farewell to Pops, Catherine hid the pearl again. Walking as a group they then followed the Hume back into the chamber to finally meet whoever was in charge.

-

Rost followed the spectre of the boy as if they both walked in some kind of dead space between reality and where they had been called back from. What he was looking upon now was not real, in that it had already happened. He was following the boy's path and was seeing shadows of what had transpired. He had followed using his new found powers to the North far from the known crags and deep inside the glacier. The spectre of the boy stopped and looked out over the snow ridden cliff as a huge shadow appeared. The shadow had no detail but by its size could only be a monster.

"Why do you persist?" the shadow creature asked. "Your people are gone; you are all that are left, a lingering memory of a dead Race. Give up, child."

Though the boy's mouth did not move, Rost heard him speak, "You're wrong! They are alive. I can feel it. We were meant for more than this, you will see."

"Foolish child, your ignorance is no shield to hide behind. Your people are gone from this land, from this existence. The children of this world will be freed from the chains as was agreed, at the cost of those who would embrace _him_."

_Am I being granted this vision to show my course? This boy…is he my ally in this or an enemy? This monster, this winged beast, is he an enemy? Lead me to my targets and I will do what I must. If my mission is to kill those who would try to break these…chains…then so be it._

-

"…These are the other strangers who, well, appeared out of no where," Justinius explained.

The person to whom he spoke was an old grey bearded Elvaan with a hunched back and walking stick that did not look far from Death's door. He wore ancient looking brown robes with designs that were hard to place. Alain was expecting this, someone who lived through the war to lead the survivors the correct way. To show the proper respect, he bowed his head slightly and motioned for the others to do the same. This caused Justinius to clear his throat and the old Elvaan to chuckle.

"I am afraid you have made a mistake," the old Elvaan said. "My name is Despachiaire and I am not the leader of the Safehold. Your companion, the one claiming to be from Jeuno, also made the same assumption. If you are wondering where he is, we sent him into the Phomiuna Aqueducts beneath this place in order to prove himself. Assuming he has not run into difficulty I would imagine that he would return quite soon…"

"Sooner than you might think," said a voice from the door.

Nag'molada barged past them all and scoffed at the guards who followed behind apologising on his behalf. Despachiaire apologised for making him prove himself yet Nag'molada seemed more satisfied than normal and mentioned something about finding an item he was very interested in. Tossing a bloodied horn of some kind onto the floor in front of them he declared his trial over. Alain did not believe that the tusk was what he was happy about finding.

"So you have slain the Minotaur, I thank you on behalf of-

Nag'molada sighed, "I have no need for your thanks. Know that I have made contact with Jeuno; several airships are on their way here. You should prepare for their arrival in whatever diplomatic methods you deem fit. I, meanwhile, have more I wish to investigate. I'm sure my…associates here can answer any questions you might have."

And with that the Chief Envoy of Jeuno was gone as fast as he had arrived giving off an even larger arrogance than ever before. Alain could not help but notice that, with the exception of just as he was leaving, Nag'molada had completely ignored him and the others.

"Blondy is as charrrismatic as ever," Hanaa hissed after his departure.

"Sorry about that," Alain said. "Polite conversation isn't one of his strong points, I guess. Eh, also, although we've been working with Jeuno and got teleported here with him, we really aren't part of Jeuno in a military sense. Most of us are part of the Republic of Bastok."

After Catherine helped reiterate both his apology and the fact that they were not really on any friendly terms with Nag'molada, the conversation turned to who was actually in command. Alain's next guess was Justinius, but that turned out to be wrong as well. The person actually in command of the Safehold was called the Abhorrent One. This was clearly a title rather than a name, but Despachiaire seemed unwilling to say the real name and instead offered them a meal while they waited for this person to return to the Safehold.

It seemed that the leader had left earlier in the day without telling anyone (which was a common occurrence, seemingly) and usually just wandered back in sometime in the evening. With no where else to go and the Highwind, assuming it would find them, still far away they gladly accepted the chance to get some hot food.

Since Tavnazia had been stranded away from the main land and all the foods available there it would have been safe to assume that whatever meals they had on offer were probably simple in comparison, yet this turned out to be wrong. The exotic aquatic life on offer around the Black Sea made for a multicoloured seafood bounty spread round plates with garnishes and crab shell bowls for picking and choosing. Bugard meat roasted and seasoned turned out to be surprisingly good, as did boiled giant bird eggs. Alain and the others gratefully tucked into this feast like they had not eaten in days.

Nokum-Akkum sat at the end of a long wooden table with his belly sticking out through his loosened belt burping loudly between large bites at a crab leg. Renene was nearby, flicking tiny chunks of the shell in his direction. Catherine and Hanaa sat on opposite sides of him and were a contrast to each other. Catherine picked and chose what to eat very carefully and ate with the manners of a San d'Orian princess. Hanaa, on the other hand, would happily yank a whole Bugard leg off the table and sink her sharp teeth into it in front of Despachiaire, his guards, and a few other inhabitants.

When they had first sat down to the meal, the three troublesome Tarutaru siblings had been present. They each had a very small plate with some food on and huddled together in the corner furthest away from all of them talking quietly and occasionally looking over at them with stuffed mouths or a struck out tongue. Now, however, all three had disappeared. No one was really sure at what point in the evening they had gone, not even the guards. They seemed very adept at skulking about like thieves.

On the far side of the room the double doors were thrust open as a child Elvaan burst in with a Galka following behind. With one hand on her hip, the child rubbed her nose and looked around the room at all the strangers. She wore a small blue and gold hat that barely covered the top of her light purple hair that reached just below neck length. She had a dark blue dress with white frills on and a red bow around her neck that seemed to be covering something up. Pushing past the Galka, Justinius appeared, scowled at the girl, and then declared that their leader had returned in a more than sarcastic tone. The group had finally met with the Abhorrent One.

"Well damn," she said abruptly. "Quite a few new faces you've got here for dinner, Gramps. Anyway, I'm only stopping back for the night and then I'm heading out again. Ulmia is getting some gear together so don't worry about her."

The young Elvaan girl turned and headed for the door.

"I'm Prishe by the way," she called as she went.

People coming and going without so much as an explanation seemed to be the done thing that evening. Alain was a little confused about Prishe. Having such a young girl as a leader probably meant she was of noble blood, maybe a survivor of the ruler of Tavnazia before the war. Yet that would put her age somewhere closer to his, but she barely seemed fifteen judging by her features.

The silent Galka who had stayed so close to Prishe vanished out the door soon after, closing them behind him. He had looked well muscled yet at the same time not as bulky as most Galka were and had only a small tuft of white hair on top of his head sticking out from over a headband. His face was very stern and showed no emotion. It was quite a contrast to Gerdinus' often kind face. He did not wear armour like the soldiers in the Safehold and instead was wearing a light brown and gold trimmed kenpogi.

"I apologise for our leader's actions," Justinius said as he joined them all at the table. "She is not…as disciplined as I would like. I swear it is her that sets such a bad example for those Chebukkis…"

Despachiaire raised his hand, "Please do not trouble our guests with such things."

The rest of the evening went by without anything unexpected happening. After the meal they were shown to a room that they could sleep in for the night and given some sheets and pillows to use. The room they had been given seemed to be a storage area of some kind filled with old boxes and smelt like dust. It felt a bit too much like a prison cell to be comfortable, but they could not expect much. There was more than enough room for all of them despite the crates and soon enough they were all gathered in a semi circle in the centre of the room huddling together for warmth. The room had not been built with heat in mind and open vents on three walls did not help. They had been given a Fire Crystal to use for heat; it sat upright in a stone plate in the middle of them all giving off a small amount of warmth and an ever dimming red light as its power was drained.

Nokum-Akkum snorted in his sleep as he contently lay across Catherine's legs on the opposite side to him, clearly enjoying whatever he was dreaming about. Renene was almost curled up in a ball under her sheets and the top of her staff was the only thing poking out the top. Hanaa's head was ever so slightly nodding forwards every few seconds in time with her almost drifting to sleep and then waking up again. Now it seemed like she had finally drifted off though, her head was staying tilted forwards and her hat had fallen down over the top of her face. He caught Catherine's gaze and they both looked on in silence for a moment.

"You should rest," she whispered to him.

"I feel like I've been resting for too long already," he replied with a shy smile.

She looked down, "I don't want to go to sleep until you do."

"Why?"

"So I know you won't be gone when I wake up."

He looked down.

"We never really…talked," he said at last. "What I said…back then…"

Catherine looked back up.

"I…I'm not really, well…this isn't…"

She gulped, "You're right, now isn't the time. But promise me; promise that we'll talk soon…please."

He nodded.

She seemed happy with that and gently moved Nokum-Akkum from her lap and lay down. Her eyes were on him as he did the same; she truly wanted to make sure he was not going to shoot out the door leaving them behind again. He lay his head down on the pillow that he had been given and found it surprisingly comfortable. From where he was he could still see her looking at him while laying in a similar way. His eyes felt heavy; maybe he really did need sleep after all. He let his eyelids close and his mind to wander as a peaceful sleep took him.

-

"He's waiting on your answer, you know."

"Hanaa? I thought…well, you were sleeping…and, eh…"

"What's stopping you? You got him back and now you arrren't doing anything about it? Is it me you're worrried about? Well don't. I'm not a one man cat and besides, I can see how he looks at you. He looks at me like an annoyingly clingy sister, he looks at you like…well…"

"Please, don't say anything like this to the others."

"I won't. This is just some kind advice from one frrriend to another, Cathy. Really listen to me. Who knows what trrrouble we're getting into now? So take your chance while it's therrre!"


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN: CALL OF THE WYRM KING

"You startled me…I come here in the early morning to play my harp and sing. You were humming along, weren't you? You're one of those people who appeared…my Grandfather's guests."

"Yes I am. That song you were singing just now…do you know its meaning?"

"It is an ancient song taught to me when I was young called Lay of the Immortals. It is a short and simple melody but seems to inspire warmth in people. How can it be that you know it?"

"Ha, it is so much more. That song is not Lay of the Immortals, it is called Memoria de la Stona, and has more verses than you seem to know. The next verse tells of a sickness that devours worlds while the Gods sit by and do nothing. Hardly…inspiring, did you put it?"

"You…you know the complete song? Please, please tell me the rest!"

"The next verse is for the Gods alone."

-

Alain awoke with a groan. Sleeping on the floor had not done him any favours as he seemed to crack a bone with each movement. Nevertheless, he had slept well which, in a way, was more unsettling than being granted another vision. Rost was alive yet the connection that seemed to form between them was now severed, he no longer saw what he was doing. Was it because they were so far apart? Rost felt distant; somehow he knew that to be true, but was there more? Everything had been restarted with the appearance of the silent boy; perhaps that was the cause.

"Do I have a bump on my head?!" Nokum-Akkum exclaimed, appearing at his side.

"…No. Why?"

"She hitaru me! In the middle of the nightaru, I'm sure of itaru!"

Shaking his head, he tried to explain to his friend that he was imagining things. A quick glance over to Renene, who grinned and waved her hand at them, confirmed once more that there was no ill feeling (at least from that end). Taking Nokum-Akkum to one side he whispered to him that he was not seeing the real reason he was being picked on a little, which just seemed to confuse the Tarutaru more.

"Look…" he paused to try and phrase it correctly, "Renene…likes you. You need to understand that. I think she does anyway. You just can't see it."

"Oh, a walking irony," Hanaa remarked as she walked past.

_What's that supposed to...?_

Nokum-Akkum frowned, "…She doesn'taru like me! She is trying to kill me!"

Giving up yet again at trying explaining something to the stubborn Warrior, he saw to his things. When it came to putting on the damaged horrible chest plate he had been given in Jeuno he just could not manage it. The rest of the armour would have to do as he had nothing else, but he would rather wear only the blue rags he had been found in over his chest than such poor quality plate. With reluctance he also attached the short sword to the side of his belt. Just as everyone else was finishing up getting ready they all heard what sounded like a heated argument between two people passing by outside the storage room they had slept in.

"Prishe, listen to reason!" a voice that had to be Justinius pleaded. "You cannot keep venturing out into dangerous areas alone, but if I were to send a full escort it might entice the Beastmen to attack! You know as well as I do that if the Orcs were ever spiteful enough and rallied with the Gigas, we wouldn't be able to defend the Safehold from an attack."

"Cool down, Justinius. You make it sound like I'm heading out there to randomly punch a Beastman in the face - I haven't done that in years," he heard Prishe say. "Look, I'm just heading over to Riverne to see what happened. Besides, you're forgetting that Brute is with me and you know I can handle myself."

"But…"

"If what I saw really was Bahamut then you know as well as I do what it means," the girl said, sterner than before. "If the gates were opened…I'm going to get answers from the Wyrm's mouth. Once Ulmia gets here, I'm leaving."

_Bahamut?_

Alain and the others exited the storage area and were instantly noticed by both of them. Prishe gave a half hearted wave before walking further up the passage towards where they had originally entered the day before. The silent Galka followed close behind without even acknowledging them. Justinius bid them good morning and asked if he might speak with them alone for a moment. They followed him to one side, further away from where Prishe was clearly waiting for whoever Ulmia was.

"Did you hear any of the…discussion I had with Prishe just now?"

"We did," Catherine stated on behalf of them all. "We're sorry."

"No matter. Prishe claims that last night she saw a huge winged beast flying towards Riverne, an area of this island. She said that it was Bahamut, the Wyrm King. I am not sure how familiar you might be with ancient legacies and lore…but should this be true then it spells danger for all of Vana'diel. Now she is off to find this Wyrm with barely a warning and I cannot spare anyone to help. Any slip in the Safehold's defences could entice an attack, not to mention the arrival of the airships from Jeuno that will need attending to."

"Arrre you asking us to baby-sit your leader?" Hanaa asked, cutting to the chase.

A humble nod was the reply. They did owe the people of a Safehold a debt of gratitude for so readily providing them with accommodation and food despite being total strangers, plus Alain was interested in the claims about what the appearance of some ancient Wyrm would mean for the world. It could not be a coincidence that something like that was happening in time with everything else they had seen so far. Speaking for them all, he pledged their assistance. Happy with that, Justinius bid them farewell, claiming to have much to do before anyone from Jeuno reached Tavnazia.

"So, you've invited yourselves along have you?" someone asked from behind them.

Prishe stood proud with her hands on her hips peering at each of them. Catherine reiterated what had been asked of them and that they felt they had a debt to repay. Although unimpressed by this reason, Prishe huffed and then accepted their company. She introduced her apparent Galkan bodyguard as Brutal Fist, though she then hastened to add that just calling him Brute was enough and that he would not complain about it.

Renene stood in front of the towering Galka, "You're reaaaalllllyyyy tall and grumpy-wumpy looking, Mr Brute."

The Galka stared at her, "Yes. I am."

"Renene is going to have fun with someone like that," Hanaa muttered.

After introductions there was an uncomfortable silence between them until the last member of their party arrived. Ulmia was a bright eyed young Elvaan Bard wearing a brown dress with matching leggings and had a small brown harp in hand. Her hair was quite short for an Elvaan and was ginger in colour. She curtsied and bid them hello in a polite well taught manner. Despite the age difference (Ulmia looked to be at least in her mid twenties) the Bard and Prishe got on well and seemed close friends. Announcing that it was time to leave, Prishe confidently led the way out of the Safehold.

Something felt wrong as they travelled across the fields towards the western part of the stranded island. Even for Alain and the others, who were foreign to this place, knew that it did not feel right. Across the jagged cliff ranges between them and their destination they could see a violent localized storm touching the sky and sending ripples of lightning in all directions. Not only was there the strange storm but the open land seemed empty of creature and Beastman alike. Sheep were cowering together in old ruins along the rock walls and even the occasional Bugard they caught site of was moving from cover to cover in fear of being out in the open.

Eventually they reached a dilapidated old wooden gate in a narrow passage that would allow them access into Riverne. Inside, Prishe halted them and gasped. The centralized storm had formed a cylinder of wind and inside seemed to be huge chunks of land held still somehow. There was powerful magic at work before their very eyes that had torn Riverne apart. Someone, or something, had up turned that part of land and trapped it inside a storm. Catherine asked if Riverne had been populated, but Ulmia confirmed that only Beastmen and animals had made homes there.

"The air…it's heavy with magic," Catherine whispered.

Up ahead there was movement; Alain spotted three tiny figures moving shiftily at the edge of the thin passage. Pointing the shadowy figures out to the group spurred them into running off towards the storm. Giving chase as fast as they could, the group exited the thin passage into a wide area of land that had once connected to Riverne, only to find a sheer drop off a cliff edge, yet there was no sign of the people who had been watching them.

"It was those Tarutaru again, "Ulmia said angrily. "They probably just warped away."

Hanaa spotted something on the floor and called them over. Sitting in a clump of grass was the pendant that had been given to Alain by the mysterious boy back in Jeuno. One of the three Tarutaru had dropped it in their haste to escape. This was the only assumption that could be made, yet the pedant was so heavy that Renene had struggled to lift it, so how could a Tarutaru child manage it so easily? As he bent down to pick it up, he heard Ulmia exclaim that the Tarutaru siblings had stolen Prishe's amulet again.

"No…I'm still wearing my amulet," Prishe stated.

Picking up the amulet he had been given, Alain placed it over his neck and under his shirt. Prishe did not seem that interested in the fact she appeared to have an identical piece around her neck hidden by her red bow, but Ulmia was shocked. Asking why this was resulted in her becoming very quiet before dodging the subject completely.

"Wait a minute… Where is Renene?" Catherine asked.

They all glanced around. The Tarutaru Summoner appeared to have vanished just like the others. Nokum-Akkum exclaimed that they should run before she came back, resulting in a slap round the back of his head from Hanaa. Alain walked closer to the cliff edge and peered over, fearing the worst. On the rocks below there was nothing, she had not fallen. Looking back up, he briefly saw a flickering light in front of his face. He turned expecting someone else to point it out, yet they all seemed to have missed it. Holding out his hand towards where it had been, the light reappeared and seemed to grow as his finger touched it. It began to spread over his hand.

"Alain?!" he heard Catherine call to him.

"I think-

That was all he managed to say before all feeling left him as a blinding light obscured his vision. Seconds later his body was returned to him, as was his vision, and he found himself kneeling in some grass as if nothing had happened. Behind him he heard a powerful wind yet the breeze was calm. Standing up fully he pulled back in shock as he realized he had teleported again, but this time only he had moved. Looking behind, he saw that he was inside the cylinder of wind, on what had been Riverne.

"Bigger Bro!" he heard Renene shout.

The happy Summoner skipped over to him and exclaimed that she had found a hidden teleport at the edge of the cliff. Rubbing the back of his head, he stated that he had _found_ the hidden teleport as well. Behind him there was a whooshing sound before he was brought to the floor by a body falling on top of him. Just as he was pulling himself up off the floor yet another body fell on him. With a groan as they moved off him he rolled to the side just in time as a much larger body appeared with someone in their arms. Brute lowered Prishe to the ground and then moved as the rest of the group appeared. No one seemed to want to help him to his feet, so with a grumble Alain slowly got up by himself.

"We are inside the storm, how is that possible?"

Renene declared, "Evil Bro mustaru have made it so he can hopscotch from one broken bit to the nextaru! I was going to try and jump to the nextaru one but then Bigger Bro arrived."

Alain, Catherine, and Hanaa exchanged glances.

"Sweetie," Hanaa smiled. "Are you telling us that you saw Nag'molada open a teleporrrt just like this one to get to another island just now and then vanish?"

The Summoner nodded and added that the three Tarutaru children were with him. For whatever reason, Nag'molada had found his way to Riverne and recruited the assistance of the Chebukki siblings, possibly to guide him. If the Envoy of Jeuno had gotten wind of the possible appearance of Bahamut that had to be the reason he had come. Despite Jeuno's armada's imminent arrival he had acted on this for some reason.

"Prepare yourself; enemies approach," Brute stated.

With an outstretched hand, the Galka pointed upwards and towards part of the cylinder surrounding the floating piece of rock they were now stranded on. Through the whistling wind and bolts of lightning some dark shadows were visible, a group or swarm or something was heading towards them. They broke through overhead, passing into the storm and out the other side as if it were not there. It was a group of Firedrakes, a smaller species of dragon with tough brown scaled skin, sharp teeth, and breath that could melt a steel Great Axe. They were comparable in size to the Bugard they had dealt with the day before, but were far more dangerous. On the main land they were quite rare, but it seemed there were many around the isle. There had to be at least twenty of them flying in perfect unity towards the centre of the floating rocks. All species of dragon big or small were gifted hunters, so they no doubt were instantly aware of the group and that they were trespassing inside an area that something wanted protected.

Five of the Firedrakes broke off from the pack, circling over head and preparing to attack while the others vanished further inside the remnants of Riverne. All at once, the five dragons flapped back both wings strongly, giving them a sudden boost in elevation and giving them time to attack. Pulling back their heads, smoke spewed from their nostrils and the sides of their long mouths.

"Hanaa!" Catherine called as she raised her hands.

"Got it!"

Balls of fire elemental energy shot from the dragon's mouths like rounds fired from a gun straight down at them. There was no room to scatter; the area of rock they had been teleported onto was barely large enough to move around at all. A green hexagon shaped shell appeared in midair between them and the balls of fire and then slightly below a second, but smaller, green shape appeared. As contact was made with the first shape two fireballs were absorbed into it, dispersing the magical energies used to create the empowered flames and turning them to harmless smoke. The other three fireballs smashed through as the first two were absorbed, shattering the hexagon. At the point of contact of the second shell shaped shield another two fireballs were dispersed. The final fireballs exploded less than two meters over their heads as a hastily cast third shell by Hanaa got rid of it. Undeterred, the dragon's prepared another barrage.

"We can't hold these shells forever!" Hanaa shouted as she and Catherine prepared.

Pulling out to one side, Alain raised a flat palm towards one of them, "Thunder!"

A purple shot of lightning fired from his hand and struck the wing of one of the Firedrakes, causing it to spin and slam into the next nearest as it was preparing to fire downwards. The fireballs exploded from contact with the out of control dragon, consuming them both in the blast. It would only anger them as the hard skin that completely covered them was near enough entirely fire resistant, but if they were angry they would move in. Sure enough, after stabilizing in the air, the two now furious dragons plunged towards the piece of land on which they all stood, forcing the others to cease fire or else they might blow their kin off the side.

Rolling away just in time, the angriest of the dragons smashed into the ground where Alain had stood. Drawing his short sword to prepare to attack, Alain did not have time to avoid a swinging tail of the second. It slapped across the back of his hand, cutting across it with a sharp scale that dug deep enough through the gauntlet to draw blood and force him to drop the cheap weapon with a cry of pain. He fell backwards as the dragon prepared to rush him with its fangs glistening.

Nokum-Akkum threw himself into the side of the dragon just as its head was pushing forwards to strike like a serpent with both axes swinging. The Warrior chopped into the tough skin as best he could and even managed to swing at the dragon's head as it flopped about from the pain. Twisting round, Nokum-Akkum pushed his axe upwards towards the belly of the beast and unleashed Smash Axe, using up his stored up power in a weak but stunning attack. A pulse of power spread from the tip of the axe that made contact first, rattling through the dragon's body and forcing it back slightly from the impact. As the effects of the technique disappeared Brute strode by Alain and Nokum-Akkum and launched his fist into the side of the dragon, knocking it off the side of the island and out of sight. He turned and kicked forwards, bringing the second Firedrake to the ground like it were winded.

"Hey! You stole my kill!" the angry Tarutaru shouted at Brute.

Uninterested in Nokum-Akkum's annoyance, Brute picked the second dragon up as if it were a toy and tossed it over the side. In their wounded and stunned states, it was unlikely either would be able to use their wings to survive the fall. Before the argument over kill shots could continue, the island shook violently as the three remaining Firedrakes cascaded downwards ready for vengeance.

Alain helped stun one of the dragons, since he was unable to fight without a weapon, as Hanaa launched magically created chunks of rock and ice into its face with her magic, eventually bringing it down. Able to blind the fourth with Flash, Catherine moved back to allow Brute to batter it off the side. Quickly looking around for the fifth, Alain cried out in shock as he saw it approaching Prishe and Ulmia from behind, ready to bite.

With a lazy glance to her side, Prishe's hand sprung out as if acting on its own as a ball of white light spread around her fist. The dragon's head was engulfed in the energy of the White Magic spell Banish. It roared in agony as its burnt face pulled back with remnant white smoke smouldering out of its orifices. Before Alain, Nokum-Akkum or anyone else could move in to finish off the monster, Prishe punched into its chest, knocking back at least two meters and over the side with almost as much strength as Brute showed. Those that did not know her were startled by her apparent mastery of both White Magic and the martial arts common amongst Monks.

"Well, that was a fun warm up," Prishe stated as she brushed down her clothes.

"It is not over yet," Brute said.

A quick glance skywards confirmed this. More and more shadows were appearing outside the cylinder shaped storm heading straight for Riverne. It was as if all species of dragon were being called and further proved the validity of Bahamut truly being somewhere nearby. From the largest clump of shadows heading for the storm some more broke off, most likely heading for them. The ground on which they stood was already torn up badly and they had used up a lot of magic on the first five, a second larger attack would be far more dangerous. Not only that but the waves of dragons appearing meant that there was not an end in sight.

"We should probably find a way out of here… We could escape outside?"

"No," Prishe stated. "I'm going further in. Try and find a different teleport left behind by your friend, we'll follow the same route."

-

While the others were busy trying to find a way to move to a different island to escape the incoming dragons, Renene stood in the centre of the island moving around with her staff, trying to successfully summon an Avatar to help them. The air felt light and fluffy, it was full of magic, which was enhancing all of their latent abilities and spells. She closed her eyes and scrunched her face up tightly, concentrating as hard as possible on summoning Mr Carbuncle. She thought harder and harder, imagining the little blue creature appearing like always.

"Here comes three more of them!"

"I'll getaru them!"

On and on she went, thinking harder and harder. Eventually something changed, she felt like she could once again summon. Dropping her staff onto the grass, she held her hands in front of her chest in a triangle shape as around her glowing green balls with dancing flames inside appeared. She opened her eyes in time with moving her hands around and then pushed them forwards, completing the summoning technique. At the same time it was as if night fell as a huge shadow covered her. A dragon was planning on landing where she stood.

The summoning circle appeared in front of her, from which the Avatar would be called fourth. She was expecting a small white shape to appear, but to her surprise there was a much larger dark purple circle filled with runic shapes she had not seen before. Called fourth from the circle was a glowing purple beast.

Renene blinked with surprise, "You aren'taru Mr Carbuncle!"

A dark wolf padded forwards on all fours, sniffing at the air. Its mane swayed in the slight breeze and seemed to spread glowing sparkles as it went. Looking up and suddenly growling, it became aware of the Firedrake descending upon them. A purple aura appeared around it as it shot into the air, slamming into the dragon in midair. The wolf wrestled with the dragon, fighting its way up its body, before sinking its jaws into its neck. The wolf then used the dying dragon's body as a spring board, and shot towards another Firedrake preparing to land. Everyone stood still looking into the sky in awe as the wolf jumped from target to target, killing them instantly, and letting the bodies cascade down safely passed the edges of the small island.

Another pack of larger dragons swooped in through the edge of the swarm. The wolf hung in midair as if it were walking on ground. Rearing its head back the aura around it exploded in time with an almighty howl and the vision of a full moon appeared in the air above it. Powerful pulses shot in all directions from the moon evaporating each dragon it caught and sending a shockwave towards them all on the island so powerful they were all forced onto their knees. They got up to see that the wolf had moved instantly back onto the island and now stood in front of Renene, sniffing at her. She walked towards it panting slightly, suddenly feeling very exhausted. She rubbed the side of the wolf's mouth and smiled at it.

"Good doggy."

The summoning circle appeared once more as the Avatar vanished inside it. Renene felt faint and could not stand. As she fell over someone near the ground caught her. Though her eyes felt heavy she opened them just long enough to see Nokum-Akkum looking back at her with a frightened expression on his face. He was talking but she could not hear well enough, it was like he was far away.

-

"I've never seen that Avatar before…"

"It was Fenrir, at least, his form. But that is impossible. No common Summoner could have bested the real ancient beast and been granted a pact to summon a lesser Avatar. It is not possible and yet she was able to do it…"

"Well she must have really impressed Brute to make him talk so much, you strangers are getting more interesting by the minute. I think I found another teleport, we should move before we're attacked again. Someone should probably carry her."

"I will! I can do itaru."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT: KULUU

Makki-Chebukki crept forwards with his hands in front of his mouth, listening intently to what was within the cave. He almost jumped out of his skin as someone walked into his back. He turned with motioned angrily at his brother, Kukki-Chebukki.

"You were walking too fast!"

"You were walking too slowly!"

"You were both talking too loudly!" declared their sister at the top of her lungs.

Looking back where he had been going, Makki-Chebukki listened. The stranger that had visited the Safehold and recruited them, in part of his top secret unit of specially trained fighters, had gone on ahead without them. After they had reached the main island of what was left of Riverne he had told them to wait and hold off anyone who might be following, but that was a few minutes ago and now they were bored.

Cherukiki huffed, "People are following us; the teleports aren't closing fast enough! You two did something wrong again."

"Talk quietly!"

"No, YOU talk quietly!"

A roar rumbled down the cave knocking them all over. They turned and looked at each other.

"Escape!"

"Plan!"

"Omega!"

-

She kept on being bumped up and down and from side to side. Renene did not like that, it made her tummy feel ill. Her eyes were heavy like it was still supposed to be nap time, but it was bright around her so it could not be night. With some difficulty they opened but everything was a blur. She was being carried by someone and they were rushing across a green ground as fast as they could manage. There was an explosion of orange and red close by, causing the person carrying her to skid to the side before carrying on with some help of a taller person who punched a black shadow far out of sight.

Things started to come back to her. There was a big dark purple dog of some kind that had appeared instead of Mr Carbuncle. Maybe Mr Carbuncle did not want to come out to play, but that was the first time she had ever seen the dog. It was a good dog though, she remembered it protecting them. What was going on at all sides then became clearer; they were rushing from island and island to escape an onslaught of dragons.

"Keep going, find the next portal!" someone called. "We're heading for the largest piece of land in the distance; it must be where _he_ is! Go!"

There was a rumble and another explosion, causing the person carrying her to almost trip. She looked up and saw Nokum-Akkum panting from exhaustion but determined to keep running. He glanced down for a second and realized she had woken up but did not stop to let her run on her own. Over the corner of one of his shoulders was the top of her staff, he was carrying that as well.

Everything flashed white for a second and tasted of rolanberries for some reason. They had teleported again. Things were darker than before wherever they had ended up, like it was a cave of some kind. Nokum-Akkum was no longer running and stood still, looking around with the others. The swarms of dragons chasing them would not be easily able to get to them now, it looked like. Her saviour looked back down at her and shyly blushed. She perked up, moved her head forward to kiss him on the cheek, and accidentally knocked their foreheads together.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Nokum-Akkum moaned as he dropped her and held his head.

Hopping to her feet, she brushed herself down, rubbed the bump on her head, and skipped over to him. He pulled back but she had grabbed his hand. With a squeal from him, she pulled him close to her face again and this time managed to kiss the tip of his nose. He spluttered and pulled away, managing to run behind Alain's leg with a bright red face before she could catch him again.

-

"I see you're alright now," Alain said to Renene. "I think you should probably settle for just thanking Nokum-Akkum for carrying you… Anyway, Hanaa refreshed you but you seemed to be asleep and we had to keep moving."

The Tarutaru happily smiled, "I'm fine now! Thank you!"

Alain glanced down at his leg and saw Nokum-Akkum was determined to stay hidden there, for the time being at least. Hanaa was busy swooning over Renene's displays of affection and even Catherine seemed distracted by it. It looked like discussing how Renene had managed to summon Fenrir would have to wait. Ulmia, Prishe, and Brute remained focused on the task at hand and had moved on a small distance from them to work out where they were. He overheard one of them mention something about a hill, perhaps what the place had been before Riverne was destroyed.

Though they had made it to the apparent intended destination of Nag'moalda, there way back was now gone. The teleports they had taken were all slowly being drained of strength and the last that had brought them to the cave was nearly invisible by the time the last of them had made it through. Now, where they had appeared, there was nothing. Without help they were now stranded twice over and it was unlikely that the Highwind would have the means to safely cross the storm barrier.

Down through the cave there were suddenly echoes of someone singing. It was a harsh tone yet the melody was sweet. All of them paused to listen. Ulmia reacted first after realizing what it was that they were listening too and urged them to move quickly to find out who was singing. Prishe huffed and asked why when there goal was to find the Wyrm King.

"That song, listen closely to it!" Ulmia insisted to her friend. "It's Lay of the Immortals…or what I knew to be that until today. The stranger from Jeuno knew this song, I do not know how. He said it had a deeper meaning…something to do with the Gods. He called it Memoria de la Stona."

_Nag'molada is a Bard? No, it's more than that. He knew what he was looking for when he came here, he had to. He wanted to find Bahamut just like Prishe does, but why? There is more to this than the country of Jeuno acting on its own. This seems different, personal. Who is he really?_

Brute stated that if they were so determined to find Nag'molada and discover why he was singing that they should move quickly as he was almost at the end of the second verse. They all agreed and ran once more, this time deeper into the cave following the echoes of sound.

Through broken winding passage ways they found their way out into the centre of the land mass they had teleported onto. It was a huge hollowed out cone littered with more floating rocks. They approached this opening with caution as it became obvious that Nag'molada was not far above them, standing on one of the floating rocks within the centre. Alain did not doubt that the envoy of Jeuno was skilled enough to be aware of their presence, yet he did not stop singing and a strange feeling swept down within the hollow rock.

A winged beast appeared before the singer in a flash of white light with hooked wings, a gold breast, and talons as long as spears. It growled contently as its wings flapped up and down to keep it aloft, sending gusts down through the cone and into the passageways they had travelled down. They dug into the ground to prevent from being blown away as the deep pale blue Wyrm King made his presence entirely felt. Compared to the beast they were all insects in size and could only hold on for dear life as each gust blasted into them while Nag'molada conversed with the monster. The singing stopped.

-

"Hail Bahamut, great Wyrm King, and guardian."

"To know the song of the Gods and this place…" Bahamut growled deeply. "You are a Kuluu. So you are not extinct after all and the pact forged between us is as true this day as it was then. To know that your race has survived so much strife pleases me."

Nag'molada bowed, "My people are in your debt for your sacrifice."

"Now you come before me knowing of this pact and my purpose, yet surely you know that the gates have been opened? With the opening of the gates the end of this world has been ushered fourth."

"As Yve'noile predicted…" Nag'molada stood tall once more, "Mighty Bahamut, what you speak of was only known to me in recent times and my attempts to act on the information have thus far proven fruitless. But know this; as long as at least one Kuluu lives I will do what I must."

Bahamut lowered his head closer, "Kuluu, it is too late. With the gates opened you know what it is that I have been called forth to do. The last resort to stop this plague as was decided. One must not be chosen."

-

Over the sound of the might Wyrm's voice and even over the wind and storm, there was another sound that all of them soon picked up on. It was getting louder and louder as it grew closer to them. From the sky descended a huge airship with a blood red base and to its sides were two smaller crafts. Alain recognised these immediately as part of Jeuno's fleet. The biggest had to be the flag ship, which was armed with the most powerful cannons in the world.

From the deck of the largest airship Alain had ever seen a dozen figures wearing black and blue robes leapt downwards and split off in all directions with more agility and speed than seemed possible, taking up positions on ledges at various heights around the hollow stone they all stood inside. Bahamut glared at all sides and then back to the large airship as a blond haired woman wearing the society robes appeared on deck with one hand on her waist.

Bahamut roared louder than before, "No! How is it that the accursed Zilart have survived as well?!"

With a wave of her hand the figures that had leapt into the rocks all reacted instantly, raising both hands in front of them and casting out magical strands of some kind. The luminous strands grew in size and thickness, linking together and cocooning the Wyrm King's body, sending him into a fury as his wings were bound. Alain and the others did their best to pull themselves forwards as there was one last mighty gust as Bahamut came down onto the ground with a crash, no longer able to fly. Alain reached the edge of the passage they had been listening from and looked up to see Nag'molada with a panicked expression, seemingly as surprised and shocked at what was happening as they were.

Prishe nudged him, "You just going to sit there?"

"What?"

"Well it looks like you and Brute are the only other ones strong enough to stay standing with me. Let's go give Bahamut a hand."

He looked round and saw that everyone else was still struggling to stay standing after so many barrages of powerful wind and earthquakes. He turned back and looked at the mammoth struggling monstrous creature before him as it fought the nets binding him and screaming with rage and cursing out the Zilart.

Alain looked at the airships, "They are from Jeuno…they're on our side."

"Are you an idiot? I don't know about you, but it sounds a lot to me like the Zilart are the bad guys and these Zilart are trying to capture or kill Bahamut. You can hide here with your friends if you like, but I'm helping him. There are things I need him to answer. Let's go, Brute!"

There was not time to think things through, no time to carefully decide who the bad one in this situation was and who the good was. Forces from Jeuno had arrived, but Bahamut had identified them as Zilart. Was it true? Were the Zilart still in control of Jeuno after all? Though the Archduke was dead it was possible his ambitions would live on in those of the same race. But then Bahamut spoke of the end of the world, despite his apparent kinship with Nag'molada. Were they both enemies to them? He cursed angrily as he chased after Prishe and Brute. Whether he was about to make a right or wrong decision would be decided by fate.

Prishe pointed left and shouted some order to Brute as she pushed off the ground and shot into the air to a platform higher up, ripping the ground up beneath her as she went. Brute acted in kind and jumped up to the opposite side. Alain picked a lower platform to move to and then leapt from there to another. He had decided that his goal would be Nag'molada. Finding her way with ease up to one of the society members creating the net, Prishe punched out at her enemy, only to find her hand phase straight through as if there was nothing there. She pulled back and thought for a second and then shrugged and blew the figure apart with White Magic.

Alain recognised the thing that Prishe had just defeated. It was no Hume or any of sentient races. It was one of the puppet-like soldiers used by the Zilart during their previous encounters. They were lifeless killing machines designed for assassination and infiltration. Sure enough yellow liquid was splattered over the rocks (and Prishe's dress) as the white light of her magic faded confirming what the intruders were. The one that Brute had met had changed its form to defend against magic after seeing the fate of its likeness, but Brute's fist was enough to shatter its masked emotionless face.

With two strands of the net broken, Bahamut screeched and tore free one of his wings. With a claw raised high it smashed down on another Mammet and then swung along the rock to where another stood and decimated it as well. Enough were slain to free himself completely and once more he took to the sky. Alain slid to a halt and dug his hands into the rock in front of him to stop himself from being blown away just a short distance from where Nag'molada stood in silence, glaring at the huge airship bearing down on them.

"Nag'molada!" he shouted.

The envoy half turned and glanced at him.

"Tell me what's going on!"

Bahamut began to pulsate with charging power, "Foolish Zilart, foolish children of Vana'diel. Extinction is upon you, this planet will grow dark and empty. Leave this place and wallow in your dying world. Fester with it and await your end! You will never escape the chains of Promathia!"

From the beast spread a holy light which engulfed the entirety of the cone shaped rock and everyone on it as well. It did not burn and felt warm for but a moment and then everything went black. They were travelling, everyone who was caught, and were being spread. The final words of the Wyrm King rung through the darkness warning them once more of the impending doom they faced.

Alain opened his eyes to the frightening sight of an Orc peering down at him with a sneer revealing a broken tooth and the tip of an axe poking into the hole. Realizing that he was awake, the Orc pulled back and prepared to swing the weapon. An arrow struck the Beastman square in the eyes, felling it instantly. Sitting up from the grass, Alain looked over to see the source of the arrow.

"Hi there, Alain!"

Samuel stepped forwards with a bow in hand and a quiver of silver arrows over his shoulder. He wore brown and green tanned leather often used by Rangers that hunted around the Norvallen region. Now stood fully, Alain rubbed the back of his head and then shook his friend's hand. Moments later he got his bearings; he was somewhere on the Tavnazian Archipelago. A short distance behind Samuel was another welcomed familiar sight; the Highwind.

The unique airship looked very out of place sitting in the middle of an open field and had no doubt startled every creature within a few malms. His hopes grew as he saw Hanaa appear from the airship and then Nokum-Akkum in close pursuit. After exchanging greetings he tried to work out what had happened after Bahamut had blinded them all.

"It looks like he teleporrrted all of us," Hanaa said. "None of us went verrry far. Cathy ended up back at the Safehold. She's meeting us here with Renene soon. You'rrre the only one who ended up in a dangerrrous place, which is just typical."

"You were almostaru Orc food," Nokum-Akkum chimed in.

Though he had so much to ask, he settled for knowing that barely two hours had past since they had been forcibly removed from Riverne and that the Highwind had only just arrived. Samuel was eager to explain that since they had last met he had been training in his accuracy and had been officially recognised as a Ranger. Asking if his love for engineering had disappeared, a panic stricken Samuel insisted three times over that being a Ranger was just a hobby and that he _could not_ say things like that to Pops.

"Anyway," Samuel said somewhat nervously, "let's get on board. I bet this is like coming home, isn't it? We've done a lot of work on her since you last met, but she's still the Highwind."

The strange thing was that it did almost feel like coming home. Maybe it was not the same as returning to his house in Bastok and seeing his Moogle and Chocobo, but still it felt good. Maybe it was because it was a return to how it had been before Tu'lia, before everything went wrong. But they could not rest now; there was no break for them in the foreseeable future. Bastok had to be informed about the surviving Zilart, Bahamut, and whatever the Kuluu were.

The interior of the middle ship had not changed much, but then since it only housed the bedrooms for the passengers and crew that was to be expected. The homing crystal was still there, though it looked slightly dusty from not being used. The meeting room was the same as well. They headed into the pilot area and this was where there were noticeable differences. There were many more panels and switches and a few pipes over head that clunked every so often. The panels themselves looked far more complex than before and almost like the kind of thing they had seen in Tu'Lia. Pops was waiting at the wheel and nodded his head as a welcome when he saw them before ordering his son to take the wheel and to the pre-launch checks and then disappearing out the door.

"Good to know he hasn't changed," Alain muttered.

Samuel smiled, "Pops pushed the ship hard to get here so fast, those new engines are better than they used to be but still we found the limits. So I guess he did want to see you all again…or he just wanted to push the Highwind as much as possible. Anyway, we're running on a twin crystal set up now and can do a lot more; we're even armed…but, eh, best not mention that to anyone from Jeuno."

_Jeuno!_

He asked what had happened to the airships that had appeared from Jeuno. Catherine had spoken to Hanaa earlier and said that a number of soldiers had appeared at the Safehold along with two small airships and had been welcomed with open arms as talks began for establishing what to do next. Hanaa added that Catherine had been talking quietly so she was probably being very careful given what Bahamut had revealed about surviving Zilart.

"Did she mention anything about what he called Nag'molada? Kuluu?"

Hanaa shook her head, "Not a thing, but that little girrrl and her buddies reacted differently. I think they know morrre than they are letting on about this whole situation. We haven't seen them, I guess they either ended up at the Safehold as well or just found theirrr way back to it."

The Highwind shook slightly as the hum of two crystals vibrated through the ship, bringing it to life. Consoles of buttons and levers lit up and small bursts of steam sprayed out of the pipes overhead. Samuel grumbled about his father starting without warning again and began hitting buttons. The anchor was pulled up, the propellers were prepared on the upper deck, the side entrance was sealed, and the landing gears were readied for retraction. Nokum-Akkum tugged at his leg and then whispered that he hoped that Samuel had improved his flying since the last time they had flown with them.

With surprisingly little shaking, the propellers went to full speed and they were lifted into the air. Three clunks confirmed the landing gear was now inside the belly of the airship and they were all set. Samuel moved from the console over to the steering wheel and spun it to turn them in the direction of the Safehold. It would not take them long to reach no matter what part of the stranded island they were on but they would have to be wary of Jeuno's airships. If need be they would land in the ocean to avoid detection until Catherine and Renene could leave the Safehold without drawing attention.

-

With a Mammet at each of his sides, Nag'molada walked forwards towards a white chamber door. It rose into the roof to allow him passage into the large chamber where the boy and the two adventurers had reappeared. Delkfutt's Tower was still off limits to all but the military and the Gigas population was being kept under control by two units of Duchy Guard. At the exact point where the boy he hunted had appeared stood a woman with her back to him, dressed in society robes. Knowing of his presence, she waved her hand. The Mammets at his sides slinked backwards and stood in front of the door.

"You disappoint me, Nag'molada."

He scoffed, "Do I indeed?"

"To allow you to act on your own was my mistake, but to take what freedom I give you and use it so liberally is not tolerable. You reported your discovery of Tavnazia as any loyal solider would, but then you travelled alone deep inside a Wyrm's lair to converse with Bahamut alone? What motivated you to do such a thing?"

He was silent for a moment and pondered his thoughts. A quick glance round confirmed his _escort_ was now preventing any thoughts of escape. He was being treated like a prisoner despite coming willingly after being cast out from Riverne. He turned back to the woman and cursed.

"Does my heritage mark me as a traitor?"

"Your heritage does not, but actions based on it may still."

"I sought answers from the Wrym King, nothing more. As a Kuluu I am your willing servant. I would have discovered so much more had you only waited! What possible goal would ensnaring Bahamut have achieved?"

The woman turned to face him.

"You are so simple, Nag'molada. Bahamut is the tool of destruction brought about by fools. He is the one who will send out a call to his kind, form an army, and then destroy our cities one by one. When the Wyrm servants are called and each brings with it their kin, there is little hope of even our armada stopping them."

He knew her to be wrong. She was not looking at the whole picture despite what she had to know. She could not see past what she believed to be his betrayal. But he knew what dangers lurked behind thinking such things in her presence and tried to put them deeper down as she looked at him with an almost knowing glare. She walked forwards and stood right in front of him.

"The storm protecting Bahamut and his army is now so great that even our flag ship cannot pierce through, it suffered too much damage. It will begin its journey home after meeting with the Tavnazians, but will take at least two days. The other ships are presumed destroyed. Now we have no choice but to focus on the other danger; the boy. You have failed already trying to catch him but you will try again and you will take Mammets with you to ensure your success. You must not fail again, Nag'molada."

He sighed with a mix of bitterness and distain.

"Have no fear, Esha'ntarl. I have a plan to stop the boy and the Emptiness."


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE: RETURN HOME

Rather than risk another landing, the Highwind did its best to hover over a cliff side a short distance from the Safehold. Though Samuel's piloting had improved there was the risk that an airship from Jeuno might see them, which was bad enough, but if they also saw that it had been designed to land on solid rock there is no telling how they would react. They had communicated with Catherine to secretly say her farewells to those that had given them shelter during their short stay and to leave without being seen (using magic if need be).

Alain stood at the open entrance on the middle deck next to a rope ladder they had dropped down below. Nokum-Akkum, staying true to his word, was nearby as usual and had almost fallen out after a sudden gust of wind. The persistent storm around the island did not make it easy to stay level despite the power of twin crystals keeping the Highwind in check.

In the distance a figure appeared, quickly followed by two more. Alain panicked, thinking that Catherine was being pursued by agents from Jeuno. Despite not having a weapon at hand, he moved onto the ladder and descended as quickly as he could. The rope ladder was weighted at each section as well as at the bottom, yet this still did not stop it from blowing in all directions with each gust of wind.

A few moments later, after reaching the bottom, it became apparent that it was a Galka and an Elvaan following Catherine. It also became obvious that she was not running away from them but with them towards the Highwind. As the trio reached him Ulmia bowed out of politeness while Brute stood silent like a statue.

"Did you come to see us off?" he asked.

"They need to come with us," Catherine replied. "Many people from Jeuno are still around the Safehold and this area, we should get going and we'll explain on board. Trust me, Alain."

He would not doubt her and in turn they climbed back up the rope ladder (irritating Nokum-Akkum in the process as he had just found the courage to try and climb down it) and into the ship. With a quick call through to Pops and Samuel to get going, the middle deck door closed and they took off above the clouds to avoid being seen. Alain called everyone into the meeting room so they could find out what happened.

"Thank you for giving us passage…" Ulmia gulped shyly. "There were many airships from Jeuno, but we could not trust them after what we heard at Riverne. Lady Catherine agreed on your behalf, we're sorry if we will cause problems."

Renene's head appeared at the side of the table at which they all sat.

"More friends!"

Catherine said, "When we were cast out from Riverne, it looks like we were teleported by the Wrym King. Most…well, all but one, ended up somewhere on the island. I do not think this was random; it was like Bahamut chose where we would appear. With that in mind, it would explain why Prishe is no where to be found. They believe that she has been moved to somewhere on the mainland and Ulmia and Brute were sent to find her."

_Bahamut sent us to specific places? Catherine and the others were all placed in or near the Safehold, but I was stuck in some field with a hungry Orc right in front of me. Was the Wyrm trying to kill me on purpose?!_

Hanaa purred, "So what makes you so surrre she's on the mainland?"

"That is not your concern," Brute stated. "Jeuno cannot be trusted, nor can your Republic, but it is the lesser of two evils. Grant us passage to Bastok and there we will part ways. Once we have found Prishe we will find our own way back to Tavnazia, you need not concern yourself about us."

Given the cold tone to his voice, Alain felt no need to argue. They had more important things to worry about now given what Bahamut had said and those two would be enough to find Prishe. Once they returned to Bastok they would most likely be forced to give a briefing to President Karst. After that they needed to get back on the trail of the enigmatic boy. Days had already past and returning to the main land would take yet another, putting them at a large disadvantage.

With the impromptu meeting at an end, they disbanded. A room was given to both their guests and both chose to retire immediately. With a long trip ahead of them it was probably the best thing to do, but with the weather so rough it would be hard to reach a peaceful sleep. Finding the familiar door to his room, Alain paused a minute before entering even though he know it would be as empty as the last time he had been in it.

-

Rost strafed sideways and twisted around, slashing his Great Katana across the back of a Tonberries' neck. Another plodded forwards and was stabbed through the forehead for its trouble. The accursed creatures, once used as assassins, littered the halls of the strange place he had discovered and did not take well to his invasion of their sanctuary. They were ancient beasts, far older than any other of the species he had seen before, but were not versed in direct combat. They fell one by one to his blade with more ease than he might like.

All the while, as he fought his way through, the ghostly boy faded in and out of existence as if showing him the correct path to take. Lurking in the darkness of the next chamber he entered was another Tonberry; it leapt forwards with a cleaver in hand but was cast down by a vertical slash up its chest. Bats hanging overhead squeaked unpleasant sounds at the smell of blood, but did not dare descend.

Ahead there was a door that was not open. Each door prior that the boy had reached would open automatically through some magical incantation, yet this one remained closed no matter how close he got. Now in front of it, Rost could see that there was a thin magical screen shielding it. He outstretched a finger and pressed against it, causing the screen to shiver and ripple blood red streaks. This was strong magic and much older than the spells used in the present day. It would not be easy to shatter. The boy appeared next to him once more, looking longingly at the door.

"So you cannot get through this door," Rost muttered. "This ancient magic is beyond your apparent strength, or is it because of the form you have now? You faze in and out of this existence and this magic is designed to oppose just that. Is this why you would have me follow you? I am no doorman; that is not my purpose. You are looking at me like that is not the case. Well then, speak to me and explain."

The boy looked at him but did not speak.

"You are testing my patience boy and I can see through your lies. I saw you speak with the floating beast; you cannot pretend that you do not have a tongue. Now, speak!"

The boy's mouth moved, he was speaking, and yet there was no sound. He moved his arms in emphasis of whatever he was trying to say but still there was nothing. The boy gave in trying eventually and sighed. There was another force at work here, one preventing the boy from being able to speak. It was most likely something to do with the bizarre plane of existence he seemed to tread on between reality and the spectral. What he had seen before was a vision; something which happened yet at the same time did not. Was he seeing the boy's thoughts? He held his weapon up against the shielded door.

"I will destroy this barrier for you on one condition. Do you understand me?"

The boy nodded.

"You will find some way to answer this question for me; what is the true purpose of the emissaries of Dawn and Dusk?"

He nodded once again.

_This barrier, although ancient and in terms of power far beyond me, is still limited by the basis on which all magic is founded. This is an elemental blood barrier, I remember reading of these…yet it was thought these were the works of Avatars. Its elemental base is fire yet it was not Ifirit behind this, or a fire element Avatar of any sort. The blood is forcing it to use this element as a base but…this is definitely dark in origin. No matter. Against this there is an obvious weakness._

Standing in fighting stance, Rost called on his Meditate ability to harness his stored up power from defeating the Tonberries. Pulling his Great Katana to his side he motioned to the boy to stand back and then readied his attack.

"Tachi:Yukikaze!"

As the tip of the blade hit the blood barrier a large chunk of ice grew from the point of impact and shot in all directions, covering the whole of the sheet and sending a shockwave of frost into the air. It began to melt instantly as the sheet flickered red all over, but Rost was prepared for that. Twisting his blade round, he struck forwards a second time.

"Tachi:Jinpu!"

Two ripples of wind twisted up through the block of ice, ripping it to pieces. A diamond shape formed before shattering in the centre of the barrier, casting away all magic in effect and energy in the area in a confined blast. As the mist formed by melted ice and burnt energies faded the door hung open with a large gaping hole in its middle. Rost smirked with satisfaction.

The boy faded away and reappeared on the opposite side. Rost smashed his way into the door, making the hole bigger as he went, and followed on. There was a strange moment a few steps on when something felt like it had changed. There was a sudden pulse that felt like it had stopped his heart for but a second. In that tiny moment the walls distorted, but that was long enough for him to notice. He had felt that sensation once before in his life and remembered it well; it was when he had been drawn into Dynamis by the others. Yet how this could be the same was unknown to him as he was so far from any city.

"More dreamers," a crackly voice echoed all around him, "Have you come seeking shelter from the coming storm? How wise of you, mortal. Burnt by fire or consumed by everlasting darkness, it matters not which succeeds. When Vana'diel is gone, all that will be left are dreams. Dream with me, mortal."

Rost glanced behind him and saw only darkness. The entrance was gone.

-

Hours had passed and night had fallen. Hanaa had woken with a thirst that would not wait for morning and had gone looking for a bottle of distilled water or anything to quench it. The storeroom on the lower deck at the opposite end of the engine room was the obvious place to start, but it was quite barren of supplies. It looked like the airship had been prepped to leave extremely quickly giving them little time to prepare and stock up. Nevertheless, after a quick search, she had found a bottle of water and some fruit for her trouble.

Now wandering somewhat aimlessly, she found her way to the pilot area. Between large bites of a faerie apple she spoke with Samuel (who was looking even more handsome in his Ranger wears). Lazily, she hopped up onto the side panel and looked over the console littered with controls. She did not have a clue what any of them did but was mesmerized by the lights flashing in different sequences. She felt a large panel depress as she moved her tail and hiccupped as she realized she had accidentally done something.

"Ah, what?" Samuel suddenly questioned. "The defence systems just activated."

With a loud hum of the engines a blue shape was visible out of the front panels. The switch had triggered the protection magic imbued in the crystal engines. Samuel left the wheel for a moment to press some buttons that cancelled the magic and everything was back to being just a quiet hum. After apologising, Hanaa decided that it was a good thing to know where the defences were in case of trouble. Samuel made a muttered remark about her just trying to hide her embarrassment that she chose to ignore for his own sake.

"If anyone else is up and on deck they might have gotten a fright when that magic activated without warning. I can't really leave the ship unattended; can you go up on deck and just explain you accidentally did it?"

She huffed, "It wasn't me! My tail has a mind of its own sometimes, that's all. It wouldn't be the firrrst time either! I'll be looking one way and it'll just sway the other. Besides, it's the middle of the night, who'd be up therrre?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard someone go up there not too long ago. I never saw them mind you, but judging by the quick little steps I heard run up the stairs, I'm guessing it was Renene or Nokum-Akkum."

_My Nookie-Ookie is sneaking about…maybe even with Renene – his love interest?!_

She could not hide her gleeful smile.

"Eh… Is something funny?" Samuel asked with a gulp.

"Maybe," she replied. "Don't look so nerrrvous; I like my men to be prepared so I'm not going to pounce on you. That's an idea for laterrr, though. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch love bloom."

She swooned out the door towards the upper deck.

"…She's even scarier when she's being loveable…" Samuel whispered.

Hanaa snuck up the stairs to the upper deck with her ears pricked up and her tail taunt. She would not take the risk of interrupting anything adorable by storming her way up there. She only hoped that the accident her tail had caused had not stopped anything from happening. Up top, near one of the sides of the ship, she saw both Nokum-Akkum and Renene standing next to each other.

"Mr Carbuncle still won'taru appear! All the others will come out to play ever since we visited Riverne but when I try to call him Mr Fenrir appears instead!"

"Maybe you bumped your head and got muddled up?" Nokum-Akkum suggested.

"Maybe, thataru happens a lot. You're clever."

"A little bitaru…" he said shyly.

With narrow eyes Hanaa continued to spy on them both. Was this all there was to Tarutaru romantic conversation? She could not believe it. They were both as clueless as each other about the lessons of love that everyone should be taught. But at least they seemed to be getting on finally, without Nokum-Akkum cowering like a Chocobo chick behind Alain's leg at the first sign of affection. Sighing at how unromantic the conversation she was spying on was, she shifted her way back down the steps as quietly as she could and returned to her room.

-

"The nosey-wosey spy is gone."

"How rude of Big Sis to spy! Big Bro was clever hearing her talking to the pilot downstairs earlier."

"You need to startaru calling me by my name!"

"Your name sounds silly."

"….So does yours."

-

The call to wake up sounded out not long after seven. They would arrive in Bastok shortly and had already dropped closer to sea level in order to land in the hidden port linking to the Metalworks. Alain got dressed in his rags and left over armour (there was nothing else on board) and met with everyone else in the pilot area. Pops was at the wheel; no doubt he had taken over from Samuel during the night.

Hanaa walked over to the old man, "You sure you can land this as well as your son?"

"I could land this tub backwards with one arm tied behind my back!" he boasted.

Catherine felt the need to hastily add, "We believe you, please do not try to prove it."

Sure enough, the landing was as smooth as it could be; touching the water at speed would never be bump free. Just before the final decent the base of the high rock on which the cannons of the presidential area of Bastok stood guard over the sea could be seen. Alain could not see how it was possible that sentries would not have seen them, so the president was most likely being informed over their arrival already.

The area in front of the windows were obscured by darkness as they pulled into the port and slowed to a stop. Three small anchors were released to hold them in place and it sounded like ropes were thrown onto hooks at either side of the upper deck. Both ends of the middle deck opened and the platforms extended. They turned and headed out to see what awaited them.

If he had been asked to guess, Alain would have put his Gil on there being a detachment of musketeers with weapons drawn ready to arrest them. However, he was wrong; there was only one person waiting. The old Hume laughed from the belly with his large mouth hanging open and spread out his arms in welcome. In turn each who knew him greeted Chief Engineer Cid and the two that did not know him did their best to accommodate his over enthusiastic welcome.

"It is good to see you again, Cid," Alain said.

"Of everyone I know here, it is you I have not seen for the longest. Naji was both ecstatic and worried after you vanished from the Highlands, I'm glad you got in touch via the Linkpearl like I thought you would – he calmed down after that. Now then-

Brute pushed past with Ulmia close behind and headed for the closest door.

Cid turned to them, "You two you should stay."

"We only needed transport to get here," Brute replied with a grunt.

"No, what I mean is, you should stay because I know where Prishe is."

Everyone fell silent. Rather than continue, Cid said that he was not willing to talk about it even in the hidden dock as the silence could hide anything. In his laboratory, where the sounds of machines were dominant, it would be safe to talk about everything. No guards would stop them and it would not take long to reach. Without arguing, they followed back through the thin dark passage way that led to the church in the basement of the Metalworks. From there they took the pulley lift onto the top floor and from there a sharp left into the lab. With the doors closed and the nearby machines cranked up to full power, the sound of pistons, steam, and gears soon drowned out almost everything. Cid began his tale.

On the outskirts of the city, not far from the exit in Bastok Mines, there was an ancient lighthouse that had gone unused since the war. There was little need to watch the sea for fear of attack and the cannons installed on the upper levels of the city were more than enough. With an outpost created in Gustaberg, the lighthouse was all but forgotten about and had been inhabited by some crabs a few years ago. A passing group of Iron Musketeers en route to the outpost happened to be passing this lighthouse when they saw its beacon light up as if someone had ignited the dormant fires in its tower. The light lasted only a second and afterwards an Elvaan girl appeared out of no where demanding to know what was going on.

How she found her way inside the city was not clear, but it involved knocking at least three of the musketeers unconscious followed by a frantic chase around the Auction House. Eventually, Ayame and Naji tracked her down and arrested her for causing such a disturbance. Through some twist of fate the president's daughter had observed this (Alain noted that Cornelia was probably in the mine district to visit Gumbah again). She spoke to this mysterious girl, who wove a strange tale about a Wyrm King and a fleet of airships from Jeuno. Rather than bring the girl before her father, Cornelia thought it best to bring Prishe to see him first.

"Please wait," Ulmia said. "Is Karst not a good man? Was there some danger?"

"Danger…perhaps not," Cid replied. "Karst is decent enough, though his heart passed down to his daughter if you ask me. He's a politician after all and has to act in the best interests of Bastok and the allied nations. With all this Zilart business and Jeuno acting on its own so much…lets just say his daughter thought it best that I hear the information and then pass on what was needed. Most likely he'd have had no choice but to hold her prisoner in order to have her story confirmed and then presented to Windurst and San d'Oria. What she had to say was…startling."

What had concerned the old engineer most was not Bahamut's proclamation that the world was ending, but rather the huge airship that they had seen and the person in control of it. By the laws set out after the war Jeuno was allowed to have a military force that could, in theory, control the skies as well as maintain travel routes between nations. That, however, did not allow them to create a whole fleet with which they could wage war. The design and sheer scale of the ship they had seen was something he had seen in drawings and plans many years ago.

"You're saying you built this airship?" Hanaa asked impatiently.

"…Not exactly. Twenty years ago Archduke Kam'lanaut created the theory behind crystal engines and came to me with plans for flying machines using his designs. They would have turned around the war in a flash, but we could only finish a handful of prototypes in time. A lot of plans were discarded; they would never have been done in time to be used during the war. There was one plan for a huge airship, a flag ship to lead a fleet, with enough firepower to level a city. Kam'lanaut talked about it like it would be used to destroy Castle Zvahl without a single life lost on our side; it inspired me to work even harder…"

Alain scowled, "So Kam'lanaut finished the design before he died?"

"No. If anyone did, it was the Armathrwn Society. I observed their scientists working, those silent men in hoods, they were geniuses. In hind sight it was likely because they were Zilart and familiar with this ancient technology, but still… When I worked with them during the war they were also doing other experiments, all involving crystals. One day, in the lab at Jeuno, this wounded scout was brought forward with horrible battle wounds. He was part of the front line fighting in the Northlands. He had found a broken crystal shard. We did tests on it and the power inside it was like nothing we had ever seen. We needed to know more, so I commissioned an expedition to try and find more…"

_The Northlands Expedition…it was Cid who sent those poor people to their deaths. The Shadowlord consumed them and was reborn through them… I never realized that Cid carried such a burden…_

Unaware of the implications of what Cid had admitted to, Brute asked what relevance this talk of airships and crystals had to Prishe and where she was now. With a sigh, Cid said that he had told the same story to her and that Prishe had identified the crystal they had found all those years ago. Ulmia and Brute exchanged a startled look that told Alain they had been enlightened about something that they were not going to share with the rest of them.

"The Star of Tavnazia she called it…" Cid mused. "To know of such things revealed more to me than perhaps she meant. I would ask you how old Prishe is, but I get the feeling that you would not tell me. Anyway, she told me about Bahamut after that. Everything seemed to point to Jeuno and the Zilart so she took off to find answers. I couldn't stop her; she got out of the city either by Chocobo or airship. She said something about having a friend in Jeuno that she could trust."

All roads were leading to Jeuno. For Brute and Ulmia, it was where their friend had gone seeking answers. For them it was where the Zilart were and where they could find out what was happening. Somewhat accidentally, Alain cursed out loud about the Zilart and their underhanded actions. Cid shook his head and asked him not to be so quick to judge.

"What are you talking about, Cid?!" he exclaimed. "The Zilart are behind it all! The brothers were the ones who started all this, they even used the war to their advantage, and these survivors are the ones who provoked Bahamut and tried to capture him!"

"You can't be so quick to judge them all!" the engineer replied with sudden anger. "Did it not occur to you that if these surviving Zilart were in league with Kam'lanaut that they would have travelled to Tu'Lia as well? This woman you saw probably is now in command, but do not be so quick to call her an enemy. Yes, they tried to capture Bahamut, but was it because he posed a threat to us all? Even with the flag ship completed they would never be able to forcibly control the allied nations so there must be another reason for building it. If you ask me, it sounds like Jeuno knows another war is coming and is preparing for it."

He was not willing to accept that the surviving Zilart were blameless. If another war was truly started then it would be them firing the first shot. Even if their current goal was to protect the land it would be a means to an end of furthering their control over everyone. Cid's opinion carried a lot of weight with him though, so he agreed that it would be best to seek out answers of their own before deciding just who the villan was. Cid accepted this compromise and said that he would be the one to pass on the information to President Karst and that they should leave in the morning. At first, Alain thought he meant by public transport, but he stated that the Highwind was available to them indefinitely since Jeuno could not very well cause a fuss over their breaking of treaty agreements while they were also doing the same.

"Private transportation is safer than public," Brute stated.

Ulmia nudged him, "Don't just invite yourself along like that!"

Cid stated that it was alright for them to travel together since their destination was the same. The machines were shut down and it was safe for them to leave. As they went, Cid remembered something he had meant to say (as he often did) and called Alain back.

"I forgot to say…this flag ship… If it still has the same name that was on the plans, then it's called Sigma XIII. If you turn out to be right, about the Zilart and their motives I mean, then it might come down to facing that airship in battle. I'll be honest with you; even with the new technology I've installed in her, the Highwind wouldn't stand a chance against Sigma XIII. If it comes down to it, make sure you tell Samuel to get you out of there as fast as possible."

"You're making it sound like I'm leading them," Alain replied.

"Who else is there to lead? Gerdinus is gone and they clearly listen to you. Whether you like it or not, it looks to me like you are the leader. So keep that in mind when you're making decisions from now on. You aren't just deciding for yourself, but all of them. Go home and get some rest. The Highwind will be ready in the morning."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN: SEARCHING

Alain looked at himself in the mirror. It was a relief to have been able to have a shower and get clean after so long in just some old rags and sweaty poor quality armour. It was even better to return home and to be able to pick equipment from his collection. He wore a thick black Hauberk set common amongst certain regiments during the last war for its mix of defence and mobility. He had also selected a darksteel scythe from his meagre (in comparison to Nokum-Akkum's) weapon collection. As he looked at himself it felt right, like everything was normal. He glanced over to his bed where the blue pendant was sitting. It would be the only new thing he would wear, although he could not explain why he felt the need to bring it along. There was a knock at the door as he put it over his head and discovered that there was not enough room to hide it under his breastplate.

"Good morning, Alain," Catherine said as he opened the door.

She smiled and held up a tray she was carrying. There was a glass of fresh orange juice, some bread, and cooked sliced crab meat. He thanked her for the trouble as she placed it down on a set of drawers next to his bed. Usually the Moogles would have something prepared before anyone else would have the chance, but it seemed like Catherine had been up since the crack of dawn. Next, she reached into her pocket and revealed a purple orb of some kind. He motioned questioningly at her.

"This is what Gerdinus left behind for you, his gift," she explained. "During his last battle it brought forth strange armour that Zeid claimed was worn by the Hydra Corps of the first war. I don't understand it myself, but Renene seemed to channel her Prayer Stone to enhance her summoning power as well. Most of the stones are gone, vanished or smashed after releasing the power inside, but this one reformed and the armour it summoned was gone."

"Something similar happened to me," he explained. "I can't explain it…but it left a feeling inside, like I know that if I need to I can call back strange armour. Catherine, you gave up your stone, you take that one."

"I could not possibly…"

"I know; it is a gift from Gerdinus to me. I accept his gift and pass it on to you."

With a slight bow, she hid the purple Prayer Stone away again. He sat down and took a sip from the orange juice, it was refreshingly cool and had probably been synthesised that very morning. Then, somewhat nervously, he looked back up and saw that Catherine was still standing there watching him as if expecting something. He gulped and almost choked on his next sip as a result.

"Is something wrong, Catherine?"

"No…it's just…"

He stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You can tell me."

"…I swore I would avoid battles after what happened, after I thought I lost you. I turned my back on my training, gave up being a White Mage. My robes were stained with blood of those I failed to protect, I could not keep them. You came back and Rost is still alive somewhere…but Shadow died protecting me. Yet here we are, about to leave again and I know there will be more bloodshed."

He sighed mournfully. In his absence, Catherine had lost everything that she believed in. Her religious beliefs had been shattered just like Rost's had been and so had her morals after being forced to leave Shadow to die. He had never asked why she only wore civilian clothes since they had been reunited but now he knew why. With what lay ahead it would be very dangerous for her not to wear armour of any kind and it seemed she had realized this as well.

"…Catherine…I don't know what I can say…"

"You don't have to say anything," she replied solemnly. "You need to fight, you won't stay here…I know that already. I decided…I decided that in order to come with you I have to make myself a new promise. I can't hide behind people anymore; I can't let people put themselves in danger to protect me. Shadow did it, you did it…and then you jumped in front of that Bugard and saved me again. The promise that I am making myself, that will let me put on robes of a White Mage again and follow you into battle, is that I will protect both myself…and you."

He embraced her in a hug and felt her heart beating close to his. She pulled back and they both looked at each other longingly. Just as he was considering moving forwards, there was a thud as Hanaa dropped to the floor in front of his bedroom door and then looked up at them with a nervous grin. Without a word, she pulled herself up off the floor, brushed herself down, and then disappeared towards the landing at quite a fast pace. Alain turned back to Catherine and they both laughed together.

Two hours later, most of the preparations had been completed. They had all eaten and dressed and packed items for what lay ahead. Ulmia and Brute had been given rooms in the mansion for the night and seemed content with it. Alain had just enough time to speak to his Moogle, catch up with some friends in the markets, and see how his Chocobo was doing. Now they patiently waited for word from the Metalworks that it was safe for them to sneak down to the Highwind and take off. Their destination was Jeuno, the place from which all their problems seemed to stem.

Catherine appeared from the ground floor passage that led to where the storage area was and looked at the ground shyly as they all gazed upon the clean white and red robes she wore. True to her word, she had put aside her fears and once again wore the reinforced cloth most White Mage wore into battle. On the outside it made her look like a priestess from a church, but hidden beneath the outer layer was surprisingly tough tanned monster skin pulled tight that would cushion blows received. Attached to her belt was a few pouches and her weapon; a thin metal club with one tip in the shape of a cross.

A knock at the door startled most of them. Ayame of the Mythril Musketeers appeared with two guards. This confirmed to Alain that Cid had informed Karst about what was going on, but they still had to act unofficially for the time being. He asked where Naji was and with a despondent huff, Ayame explained that she felt it best that he not be the one to see them off or he might disgrace himself further. Naji would be furious when he found out, but there was no time to do anything about it now.

After bidding farewell to their Moogles and collecting together all their supplies, the group followed the musketeers directly through the markets to the Metalworks and into the chapel basement. Through the secret passage at the bottom they found their way back to the hidden dock for the Highwind and saw that the ship looked ready to go. Cid was no where to be seen, but Samuel and Pops were visible up on deck seemingly carrying something into the armoury at the back.

"Who is leading your…team?" Ayame asked at the edge of the dock.

Alain looked around, "Eh, me, I guess…"

"Here is a mission statement for you from _him_. Officially we do not know what you are doing. Officially you are acting on your own. Officially you are a threat to us. Despite what you have found out about Jeuno, we cannot risk an open war at this time without clear answers and must stay allied with them. We believe that the failing of summoning and teleportation magic and the appearance of the Wyrm King on Tavnazia are all connected and your mission is to find that connection and assess the threat to Bastok."

Brute grunted, "We are only concerning ourselves with finding Prishe."

Ayame ignored the Galka and asked for confirmation of understanding from Alain. He nodded back and she was content with that.

Soon after, they said their farewells to the musketeers and were on board the Highwind. The middle deck entrance closed behind them and each retreated to their rooms to put away their things. The hum of the double crystal engine rumbled through the ship as they were brought to life. The airship rocked in the waters as momentum from steam pipes positioned underneath the hull pushed it out into open sea, ready for the ascent into the sky.

-

An emergency council had been called in the Archduke's palace of Ru'Lude Gardens. A stranger had appeared demanding to see Archduke Kam'lanaut immediately, on matters of grave importance. This stranger from far foreign lands would not take no for an answer and carried a Great Katana that seemed to resonate with some incredible hidden power.

"You are not Kam'lanaut…" the stranger said as someone approached.

"My name is Esha'ntarl. Regretfully, both the Archduke and his brother can no longer hold public audiences due to grave illness. The virus they have contracted is contagious. What business you have here may be discussed with me; there is no one else you can go to."

The stranger frowned, "So be it… Do you know where I have travelled from?"

"The Far East, if my informants are to be believed."

"Correct. My name is Tenzen. I am an honourable Samurai serving in the Far East military. I have been sent here urgently to resolve the situation that occurred and had hoped Kam'lanaut would hear my words. If you speak true, then it is to you that must hear my message."

"I will hear it," Esha'ntarl replied.

"The land I come from is a shadow of its former self. The Emptiness has eaten away at our lands and has stricken most of the population with a fever that cannot be cured. They have vivid dreams about the coming apocalypse and a foreboding darkness. Whole oceans have dried up, giving our enemies alternative paths with which to wage war on us…thousands have died. I was sent because of the five crystals. Long ago my people entrusted yours in the protection of the crystals, to keep them bright and hold back the Emptiness, but now we see that you cannot be trusted."

"Are you accusing Jeuno of being behind the Emptiness?" she asked angrily. "Jeuno has protected those crystals for longer than you have existed, Samurai. I was under the impression that your land had forgotten about the crystals, but it appears that I am mistaken. Would you try to take them? Were they to fall into the wrong hands, Jeuno would have no choice but to act."

"At a time like this you would threaten my people…"

"Know that we are doing everything in our power to stop what is happening, but your nation's accusations against us help nothing. Jeuno has its hands full preparing a fleet to fight off Bahamut, the Wyrm King, to save our cities. I have an agent working on another problem; the appearance of the boy I believe to be the Keeper of the Apocalypse, perhaps the one your people dream of. This boy has been visiting the crystals and stealing the light from each. His next target will be in the Northlands as we do not believe he knows the location of the fifth."

"What must we do then?" Tenzen asked.

"The agent I have assigned to hunting for this boy, Nag'molada, is less trustworthy than I had originally hoped and I doubt his new plan to capture the Keeper will fare any better. Tenzen, I have set something in motion that should bring assistance to Jeuno. They may not be willing at first, but one amongst them has a connection to this boy. Stay here until my soldiers have found them and then convince them to help our cause. With your help they should be able to stop the boy and remove the need for the Wyrm King's genocide of our people."

"Very well, but should I discover that you have misled me…"

-

Alain rested his arms on the side of the airship and looked out at the land passing by below. It was a relief to have a clear sky and a peaceful looking place down there as apposed to the constant storms around Tavnazia. With the more direct route they were taking (public airships were now few and far between over fears that the crystal engines could fail) they had flown over the Crag of Dem. On the outside it looked as it always had done; a big chunk of white stone. Yet inside it that black slime and those strange monsters were festering. Thankfully, it looked like they could not flow out from the crag yet.

During their time in the air so far they had already decided what they would have to do once they had reached Jeuno. The Highwind would not dock in the port there, so they would have to land outside the city walls. They had concluded that Batallia Downs would be best, as the mounds dotted around it would be perfect cover for a ground landing. From there they would walk into the city which should be uneventful as their faces were not known to most of the Ducal Guard. Then the difficult task of finding Prishe would begin.

Cid had made it sound like that a lot of answers would be found with Prishe, so Alain decided they would concentrate on that first. They could not go marching into the palace without being arrested on sight anyway. Sooner or later they would have to find a way to get in there and speak with the woman that had led the attack on Bahamut, but Alain was fine with procrastinating on that subject until he could think of a plan that might succeed.

Information was an expensive commodity in Jeuno. It was full of tight lipped traders and buyers who would not part with secrets unless Gil was offered. The biggest dealer in knowledge was probably the shady Tenshodo group, led by Aldo. Despite the smuggling and other less legal activities the Tenshodo were involved in, they were still part of the Pirates of Norg that had helped them in the past.

There was one rather large problem with that plan, however. None of them actually knew where the Tenshodo base of operations within the city was and the price for such information would be far more than they could afford (despite Renene's insistence that they could have her twelve Gil to put towards the cost). Since they could not turn to the Ducal Guard, they had no choice but to search for any leads on where they could find Aldo and his smugglers.

Of course, they could also simply try and ask anyone if they had seen a slightly strange looking Elvaan girl walking about, but that could prove equally as fruitless. In a compromise, Alain thought it best they try both avenues to find Prishe. They would split up into two teams; one would directly ask about Prishe and if anyone had seen her and the other would try and find the Tenshodo. They each had a Linkpearl to keep in contact and pass on anything they might there.

Two hours or so later they touched down amongst the rounded mounds of Batallia Downs, scaring off the local wildlife and stray Beastmen in the process. They could not remain in the air and there was always the possibility that the Beastmen might gather together in order to launch attack so Alain thought it best at least one of them stay behind to protect the Highwind. Samuel, however, insisted that thanks to his training he would be able to handle it and Alain trusted him.

Team one consisted of Brute and Ulmia. They seemed unwilling to have any one else with them, but promised to report if they found anything. Alain asked that they search around Upper Jeuno, particularly the pub in that district and the market shops. Given their guests unwillingness to take anyone else, he felt it best to split into three groups to speed up the search. Team two was Hanaa and Renene, until the Tarutaru Summoner insisted that Nokum-Akkum was with them, but the Warrior wanted to be with him. Alain scratched the back of his head and sighed.

Catherine volunteered to go with Hanaa and search Lower Jeuno, while both Tarutaru went with him to search the Auction House and small shops in Port Jeuno. Silently thankful that she had solved the argument over whom was going where without him having to make the decision; Alain stated that they should get moving as time was against them. The left the airship in their teams and in ten minute intervals (they wanted to avoid arriving at the gates into Jeuno at the same time).

Rather than wait the full ten minutes after Catherine and Hanaa had left, Alain opted to leave soon after and take the bridge across to Rolanberry Fields and enter Jeuno from there to speed things up. Despite not looking any different to any group of adventurers passing through the city, Alain noticed that the gate guards seemed to look at him and the Tarutarus with suspicion. This made him nervous. He cast his mind back to the words of the woman leading the attack on Bahamut; she had claimed to know a lot about them. He did not know how that was plausible, but if it were true then they could be walking into trouble.

Despite the strange looks from the gate guards, they were not ambushed or set upon by soldiers as they travelled through Lower Jeuno to the stairs down to the port. There were a few more double takes from soldiers as they past, but nothing else. Renene and Nokum-Akkum were busy arguing over the possibilities of why they were being looked at all the way to the general store opposite the lower Auction House of the port.

"How can I help you today?" asked the strangely pleasant Elvaan at the counter.

"Eh, we're looking for a missing girl and were wondering if you might have seen her," Alain stuttered. "She's a young Elvaan girl, wearing a blue pendant like this one, she had light purple hair and, eh, slightly weird looking blue and purple clothes."

The shopkeeper thought for a moment, "I haven't seen anyone like that. We only really get traders in here, from the airships I mean. Still, if you're looking for a missing person, the best people to ask would probably be the Tenshodo."

Renene hopped up and held onto the edge of the counter with both hands, "We're looking for those sneaky-weaky Ten-shoe-dodo people as well! Where can we find them?"

"I'm not really sure," the Elvaan replied with a shrug. "I just know that they can find people…for a cost of course. I'm pretty sure they operate out of Lower Jeuno, but I can't say where exactly. Ask around there, say you're willing to pay for the information and one of their informants might overhear. One thing I know for sure is that they have ears everywhere in this city, they run circles around the Ducal Guard."

-

During their search for Prishe, Brute had heard a name that he never thought he would again. The name was of a kind old Hume who often spent his days admiring the views from the top of the city in the Ru'Lude Gardens district that had a reputation across the whole world. Despite the urgency of finding Prishe, he had to go see if it was the same man he had once known. Ulmia accompanied him, although she had never met this person.

In a secluded corner of the gardens he saw him, the old Hume. He was facing the other way with his hands resting on the edge of a white stone banister. He wore a pale blue cotton suit and matching cap and a white frilled shirt underneath. As if knowingly, the Hume turned around and looked at him. His face had aged, it was not as Brute remembered it, but it was mostly certainly the same man. The Hume had recognised him and was shocked.

"Master Maat…" the Galka said as he approached.

"I don't believe it," the old Hume said with a smile. "I should have known better. I knew a tiny thing like a war couldn't have killed you. I'd heard that Tavnazia had been rediscovered, but this is still a shock."

Ulmia asked who this person was. Long ago, when he was still young, Brute had sought to learn more about the ways of the Monk. He had reached the limits his own training could take him to, he needed outside help. During the first war there were rumours of a Hume whose strength seemed to have no limit and to top it off he was a trained martial artist as well. He found this Hume in San d'Oria; he had signed up to assist in the battles on the Jugner front. Brute enlisted as well just for the chance to find Maat. Sure enough, on the battlefield, they did and after proving his skills in that fight Maat took him on as a student. They trained together for years, until Maat told him that he had to go on a journey to improve his limits. Brute chose to go to Tavnazia, shortly before it was invaded by the Beastmen armies.

Maat seemed as equally bemused that he had not been reborn as a new Galka almost as much as Brute was that his mentor was still alive. The urge that all Galka got to go on a journey to be reborn had almost driven him mad after Tavnazia fell into the sea. There was no way he could follow the feelings and be reborn despite how strong the urges became. Then, on a day where he thought the urges would finally break him, they vanished and never returned. He continued to grow older, probably far older than any other Galka.

"I see," Maat said and scratched his bearded chin. "That makes you unique; you might well be the first Galka to die of old age. I can see you've gotten a lot stronger too, well done Ein-

"I go by the name Brutal Fist now," Brute interrupted. "Master…have you taken on more students since we parted?"

Maat smiled, "Oh, one or two."

A muffled sound came from a pouch on his belt. Brute reached down and took out the Linkpearl he had been given by the Hume Dark Knight. Ulmia had done the same. Sure enough, it was the Hume on the other end explaining to them all that he believed they would have more luck finding the Tenshodo in Lower Jeuno. Then the Mithra Red Mage spoke, saying that after some _heated discussions_ in the Merry Minstrel pub, she had discovered something strange about Neptune's Spire Inn. Brute put away the pearl and bowed to his former mentor.

"I must go, we are searching for a student of mine," Brute said.

"I wish you luck, old friend," Maat replied.

-

Just like everyone else, Alain had heard Hanaa's message about the inn that they should check out in Lower Jeuno. On the outside, the building did not look out of place where it sat in between a fortune teller's stall, the Auction House for that district, and some rented accommodations. Alain, Renene, and Nokum-Akkum waited at the doors into Neptune's Spire for the others. The first to appear were Brute and Ulmia who were impatient to go inside and see what was so strange, but he convinced them to wait. A few minutes later he spotted their friends approaching.

"That'll teach them," Hanaa was saying.

"You should not have struck them!" Catherine insisted.

"Those spoony Bards werrre asking for it…"

With them all gathered once more, they entered the inn. Alain left it to Hanaa to do the talking since it was her that had discovered some information about the place. A Mithra standing behind the desk immediately to the left of the entrance looked entirely uninterested in their appearance in her establishment and lazily took up a quill next to a leather bound red book.

"Rooms for seven, is it?" the grim looking Mithra asked in a mumble.

Hanaa put both hands on the desk and leaned forwards, "We're here to speak to Aldo."

The Mithra looked up to her without changing her expression, before smiling politely a few seconds later and asking what she meant. Hanaa stated the same thing again, creating the exact same (clearly forced) response of the increasingly agitated Mithra desk clerk. Putting the quill down, the Mithra behind the desk leaned forward towards Hanaa and ordered them to leave.

"Make me," Hanaa hissed.

In time with the desk clerk reaching under the table for something and Hanaa grabbing the hilt of her scimitar, someone ordered them to stop. From the entrance of the inn, Captain Wolfgang and a group of Ducal Guard marched in, forcing them to move into the middle of the front room. The guards had weapons drawn. Wolfgang looked over at the desk clerk still gripping something hidden under the desk and shook his head. Reluctantly, the Mithra stood straight and moved back from the table.

"Did you think you could march into the city?" Wolfgang asked. "Your arrest warrants have been sent out all across Vana'diel, there is no where you can hide from us. You will accompany us to the prison and await further instructions."

Brute pushed in front of everyone with fists raised and stated in no uncertain terms that he would not be going anywhere. Alain saw Hanaa and Nokum-Akkum reaching for their weapons and motioned for them to stop.

"What are our crimes?" Catherine asked innocently.

"I do not know," was the startling reply from the young Captain. "I do not question the law, I simply obey it."

Someone cleared their throat behind them. They all turned to see Aldo with two men dressed in black by his sides. They stepped forwards past them all and stood before the Ducal Guards.

"This isn't your concern, Aldo," Wolfgang stated. "Stand down."

"…Really?" Aldo replied. "You barge into my establishment without warning, brandishing weapons and accusations against my friends here? Isn't that overstepping your boundaries just a little? You certainly have inherited your father's arrogance, Wolfgang. But I wonder if you also inherited his skill with a blade."

From his concealed hand inside his robes, Aldo revealed a curved dagger that Alain recognised as being a double of the one that Lion had wielded. The two men with him drew katanas in each hand and held them in a battle stance. Wolfgang cursed out loud and ordered his men to do the same. Alain looked at one group and then the other; they were caught in the middle of what could erupt into a full blown battle in the middle of Lower Jeuno. He thought quickly, he had to solve this without fighting. What would Gerdinus do? He had always been diplomatic.

"Wait!" he suddenly cried, completely unsure of what he was going to say next. "Look, we can't fight here with all these innocent people so close by…so…let's, eh, let's compromise."

"I'm listening," Wolfgang replied.

"I'll go with you, let my friends stay here. Whatever fake crimes we've been accused of are probably just that woman's way of capturing me anyway. I'll go freely, as long as you leave the others alone."

While Wolfgang was considering this proposition, his friends leapt to his defence, claiming that they would not let him be taken prisoner. He did his best to try and calm them down, he did not feel that he was in immediate danger and this would be a way of getting the answers he needed. Aldo said that it seemed to be the only way to avoid conflict and sheathed his blade. Nokum-Akkum kicked him in the shin and stated that he was going as well. Rather than risk another ankle biting or assault, Alain agreed.

"I've never been in prison before! I'm going too!" Renene clapped happily.

Hanaa and Catherine both wanted to go as well, he tried to insist that it was safer that they did not but he could not get through to them. Then Aldo chipped in, stating that it was for the best and that he would make sure that nothing would happen to them. Hanaa, although annoyed by what was happening, eventually agreed. Catherine looked dismayed that she was being told to stay where it was safe and away from danger so soon after promising herself not to need protecting.

"We'll be back soon," Alain whispered. "Nokum-Akkum is with me, so you know I'll be fine."

Without speaking, probably from fear of bursting out crying, Catherine nodded and moved further back with the others as the Ducal Guard stepped forwards to confiscate his weapon, as well as the Tarutarus axes and staff. With firm hands placed on his shoulders to make sure he did not run, Alain and two companions were led out of the inn. He overheard Wolfgang saying something to Aldo that was hard to make out, before the young captain followed.

It felt embarrassing being marched by soldiers through the busiest district of Jeuno towards the prison, but it was for the best. At the very least, Renene's bemused expression that was a mixture of intrigue and cheerfulness despite what was happening to them, helped brighten the mood.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THICK AS THIEVES

The Neptune's Spire Inn was technically a reputable business. It rented out numerous rooms to travellers, traders, and even adventurers all year round. There was even a small restaurant that served food largely imported from Kazham. Aldo was the owner of the establishment and it probably brought in a lot of hard earned Gil, by Catherine's best guess. Despite this, there was far more to the building than just an inn.

Once Alain, Nokum-Akkum, and Renene had been dragged out the place by Captain Wolfgang and his soldiers, Aldo led them through a pair of double doors at the far end of the lobby. From there they walked along a wallpapered hallway that seemed to slightly descend, as if they were going into the basement. The next room was filled with Pirates and Ninjas, surrounded by exhibits showing off ancient pottery, paintings, and even weapons. It seemed to be a collection of some of the rarest things ever discovered that Aldo had managed to acquire through shady dealings. With no time to stop, they were led through another small hallway to a room at the end. Aldo called this his office and invited them in.

There were even more exhibits inside his office as well as numerous scrolls and a huge map of the world hung behind a long desk. Aldo removed the dagger he had wielded a short time ago from his tunic and placed it on a stand that seemed to fit it just right, before sitting down behind his desk and sighing.

"What arrre we going to do now?" Hanaa asked.

"Do you know where an Elvaan named Prishe is?" Brute asked, ignoring everyone else.

Aldo looked up, "Yes, I do. Prishe appeared here just yesterday, barged right in…not that much different to how your Red Mage friend did. She was shouting at the top of her lungs for a Hume named Greezo. I had not heard that name in a long time; in fact I had not even said it out loud since I escaped from Tavnazia as it burned. You see, Greezo was my father. Prishe claimed that he had told her that if she were ever in Jeuno and needed help, that she should seek him out."

_Wait…_ Catherine thought to herself. _Prishe knew Aldo's father, yet Aldo is at least in his mid twenties. Cid said something similar about her... She looks no older than a teenager, yet knows people from twenty years ago who were already adults back then. Is she even Elvaan? Like that boy that appeared…it is hard to tell. Her skin is paler than it should be, her hair is not a common colour, and she is far stronger than she should be… And these two know something about this._

"How can she have known your father?" Catherine asked.

"I do not know."

She turned to Ulmia and Brute, "But you two do!"

Ulmia shuffled nervously and said that she did not want to talk about it as it had nothing to do with their situation. Catherine did not want to push the issue aggressively, but if there was some danger behind Prishe's secret, then it would need to come out into the open sooner or later. Brute shook his head when she looked at him, a silent confirmation that he was still not willing to say anything either.

"Sir Aldo…" Ulmia gulped, "Can you tell us where Prishe is now?"

"She wanted me to find a way to get her back to Tavnazia as quickly as possible; she said something about unfinished business with a Wyrm. I agreed. In fact, I had already had one request put forward to me for another to go out there so it was easy to arrange. The airship I prepared will leave later today…but Prishe will not be on it."

They all exchanged glances.

"Forgive me for not getting to the point sooner. I gave Prishe a room to stay in for the night. Around midnight one of my men heard a subdued cry from her room and entered to investigate. I do not know what happened, or how, but I believe Prishe was attacked by someone. There were no signs of a struggle, or injuries, but she would not wake up. I took her to Doctor Monberaux's hospital in Upper Jeuno. Despite his friendship with Captain Wolfgang, he can be trusted."

Brute was furious and demanded to be shown to the hospital immediately. In an effort to calm him down, Aldo agreed and called one of his Ninjas forward to take the Galka and Ulmia to see Prishe. Catherine and the others stayed behind and did not speak until their guests were gone.

"I assure you that she is safe, I have two people watching the hospital," Aldo insisted.

"Don't mind the Galka; he's normally angrrrier than a plucked Yagudo."

Catherine got back to the matter at hand, "Prishe has been stricken by a magic spell?"

"No bruises, no marks, and no signs of a struggle suggest as much. She was breathing normally and did not seem in pain, although I did notice that her pupils were shifting around a lot behind her eyelids, like she was dreaming the whole time."

Thought Catherine did not learn any Black Magic spells, she was aware of how they worked. Spells which induced sleep like effects manifested in such a way that it was hard to tell if one had been used. The spells forced the victim to fall into a sleep, but after that left the person's mind to function as normal. They would dream and could be woken by anyone persistent enough. If Prishe was constantly dreaming and could not be woken, no matter her forcibly people tried, then there was more than Black Magic at work. Not even the mighty Shantotto of Windurst could induce a sleep so great that the person would not wake up.

Aldo could not suggest anything else for them to do other than to go to the hospital themselves and check on her condition, but warned them that beyond the walls of his inn they were not as safe from the Ducal Guard should Wolfgang decide not to honour their agreement. Catherine asked what could be done for Alain and the others and again he could not provide a good answer. He reassured her that he would have someone inside the palace try to find out what will happen to them and would send word as soon as he heard anything.

That was all that she could hope for in that moment. Alain seemed sure that it was safe to let them go, that the arrest warrants issued for all of them were just a means to an end to get him face to face with the woman controlling all of Jeuno. She silently prayed that this women, this Zilart, had good intentions.

-

Captain Wolfgang saluted as Nag'molada approached.

"The Thundaga VI is ready for departure."

Nag'molada frowned, "And what does that have to do with me? I am not travelling back on that airship filled with handouts for those people. Send it on its way. Now if there is nothing else Captain, I have things to do."

"Wait. How do you plan to return to Tavnazia? No other ships are leaving today."

"That is not your concern. I will travel there by my own means and in my own time. I do not agree with Esha'ntarl's assumption that the boy will return there just yet. We still have time and I will use it wisely. If, through some miraculous event, I am wrong and the boy does appear on Tavnazia then have your men _attempt_ to detain him."

With that, Wolfgang stormed off. Nag'molada's proud gaze shifted to three small shadows standing at a door nearby.

"It's all going according to plan," he said smugly.

-

While Renene had never been in a prison before and was awe struck at every little detail, Alain found it irritatingly familiar. It was not so long ago that he had been held in a hidden cell in the Metalworks for giving Naji that scar he was so proud of. The Tarutaru Summoner hopped along by his side, holding Nokum-Akkums hand and forcing him to hop as well. At each side of them, and close behind, were armed Ducal Guard soldiers clad in their white plate with gold trim heavy armour. Their weapons had been confiscated and left at the entrance to the prison and now they were in one of the many cell blocks.

They passed cells filled with groups of people that had been arrested of all races and occupations. Alain suspected that the most common crimes in Jeuno were probably just petty theft and attempted smuggling of items through the ports. Every so often every city would have its more serious crimes, but they were few and far between. Whenever there was a serious crime, the home nation in which it happened could defer judgement to the Duchy, if it proved severe enough, in terms agreed in the alliance charter.

Alain recalled a case some years ago in Bastok, involving a handful of deaths at the hands of an Alchemist that had found a way to harness dead bomb cores and turn them into grenades. He had put the synthesis recipe forward to the Bastoken Military in the hopes of being contracted to mass produce them. For whatever reason, he was turned down and did not take it well. Soldiers turned up dead over the course of two weeks until he was eventually caught. The Vana'diel Tribune called it the Alchemists' Fire Murders and suggested in its article that since the victims were part of the military, that the accused would not get a fair trial. Bastok had no choice but to defer the case to Jeuno to quell such suggestions. Alain could not help thinking, knowing what he now did, that the accused probably did not get any fairer a trial there.

They were ordered to stop at the third set of cells they came to, there were about ten on each side of the thin damp smelling passage. The bars that made up the cells were probably reinforced metals that even Galka could not bend and the second they entered the building he knew that there was a magic dampener in place. All three of them were pushed into a cell three down on the right and the barred door was closed swiftly behind them.

"Hey, there's a Tarutaru living nextaru to us!" Renene exclaimed.

Alain looked over. There was a Tarutaru in the next cell sure enough, that was watching them intently. He wore a brown coloured aketon of some kind and a small red beret. The small figure stepped forwards to the bars separating their cells and placed one hand his chin and the other on his hip. He stood there in total silence in that pose, like he was pretending to be a statue. He peered at them while still holding his position and trying his best not to budge an inch.

"Well?" the Tarutaru questioned, trying not to move his mouth.

Renene walked up to the bars and took up a similar pose, clearly very amused by the bizarre neighbour. With an annoyed noise, the Tarutaru in the cell dropped his pose and called them fools. Nokum-Akkum leapt to their defence, telling the stranger to step closer to the bars again.

"Haven't you seen the wanted posters? Come on, they captured my best angle in that drawing! Have you three been living in some cave together for the past few years? Get lost in Gustav Tunnel? I'm_world famous_. I am the Thief who stole Prince Pieuje's royal cap! I am the Thief who stole the infamous Naja Salaheem's precious mace!! I am the one who stole the Mayor of Selbina's clay tablets!!! No one can stand up to my Mimic and Disguise magic!"

The strange Tarutaru burst into a fit of laughter that brought back more memories of Alain's brief conversation with Shantotto. After calming himself down, the Thief introduced himself as Miledo-Shirado. It seemed to Alain that he had given up and just said his name because the Thief was so annoyed that they still did recognise him, rather than because any of them had actually asked what it was. Alain genuinely had never even heard about any of the crimes the Tarutaru was claiming to have committed and, after thinking back over the list that had been spouted at them, also noted that Miledo-Shirado did not speak with an accent or speech impediment like most Tarutaru.

A voice spoke from the cell across the way, "Miledo…I cannot speak for the two accompanying him, but believe me when I say that this dear boy is largely oblivious to most things going on around him."

Alain was speechless as he looked over in shock at someone who had been hiding in the shadows of the opposite cell, listening and watching them all. He recognised the person's voice instantly and seeing them confirmed it. An old Elvaan wearing worn green gear strolled forwards and tipped his cap.

"The Gentleman Thief…"

Miledo-Shirado jumped up and down, "So you've heard of an old has-been like him, but not of someone as famous as me?! This is an injustice! Guard! Come here and give these ignorant fools a lashing!"

Renene leant over to Nokum-Akkum, "He's almostaru as silly-willy as you."

So it seemed that the Gentleman Thief had escaped one prison only to end up in another. Alain was disappointed; he wanted to believe he had gotten through to the old Elvaan just a little. He had helped them; saved Samuel's life against Vessel, but still went back to stealing for the thrill and nothing more. Although curious how the Thief had gone from practically living on the Highwind to a prison, Alain refused to let himself be drawn into a conversation.

"This Hume doesn't like you," Miledo-Shirado grinned.

"Alas, I have wronged him in the past. Perhaps he believes that I have gone back to my old ways and learnt nothing from him. If he were to ask such a thing, I am inclined to reply with a question of my own…regarding a promise he made to me."

Alain thought back to the final conversation he had had with the Gentleman Thief. To be freed by him and to be able to go and help his friends in Delkfutt's Tower he had to promise not to raise his blade against a friend. It looked like the Elvaan was already assuming that he had broken that promise and since he was not able to meet his gaze, Alain had probably already confirmed it.

"I didn't break the promise!" he blurted out suddenly. "Rost was never my friend. Never. Not even for a second. He hurt Catherine, used her to draw me into a battle. Yes we fought each other and I wish I'd killed him!"

The Gentlemen Thief did not say anything and simply looked at him mournfully, judging his anger in silence. Alain cursed and turned away. Even speaking about what Rost did still made him furious. No matter the reason, it was unforgivable that he hurt Catherine. He calmed down, if he were to accidentally summon some of his power that his hatred brought on it might alert the guards and make things worse.

Nokum-Akkum plodded over to the cell bars, "Did you steal something again?"

"I attempted to steal something, yes," the Gentleman Thief replied. "It was not an item, but it was incredibly valuable. You see, I felt that it would be an injustice if I were not to repay the kind crew of your airship. I was forced to _disappear_ after it was permanently grounded, your government did not want to risk problems with the other nations. I had heard rumours about the Archduke and his illness and knew them to be false. 'What better way to repay the kindness of those two,' I thought to myself, 'than if I were to find some of Jeuno's secrets and deliver them to your door'."

Nokum-Akkum was listening to the story intently with a hand over his mouth.

"Don't believe a word of it," Alain sniped. "He's making it up."

"Were you making thataru up Mr Thief?" Renene asked.

The Gentleman Thief shook his head.

"I tried to steal information, quite important information I would wager. Still you would doubt me, correct? Am I so dishonoured? Perhaps you would believe me if I were to give you just a piece of what I learned…"

He turned to face the Thief once more, with narrow eyes. This had to be some stupid trick, it just had to be. He had already been used once by the Elvaan to escape from prison he would not be that foolish again. Unwilling to even humour him for a bit of information, it was left to the awestruck Tarutarus to ask him to prove what he was saying was true.

"Well," he said with a stroke of his chin, "there was a huge airship in a hidden dock filled with at least twelve smaller ones, part of a fleet I'd say. Sigma XIII they were calling it. I had a look around on board, very impressive. There were two large cargo containers in there with some kind of creatures. They looked metal, I'd dare say, but seemed alive. I found the Captain's Quarters and looked around – that's where I was caught red handed…so to speak."

Renene turned to Nokum-Akkum, "Is he saying his hand is red?"

"No, he means he burntaru it and cried outaru, so they heard him and caughtaru him."

"Oh."

Was there any way that the Thief could have found out about Sigma XIII without actually seeing it? Its existence had not been made public; if it were then the Allied Nations would go into a blind panic. Alain could not help but wonder if this time it was the truth. At the very least it sounded like the Gentlemen Thief was snooping around the warships Jeuno was creating, but his purpose for being there was probably inaccurate. The Tribune or any other newspaper would probably buy information as explosive as that for a lot of Gil. That had to be it.

"Almost dinner time," Miledo-Shirado muttered.

"Shall we play a trick on today's guard?" The Gentlemen Thief asked in reply.

Renene's ears pricked up, "Whataru do you mean?"

"Oh, Miledo and I enjoy playing tricks on the guards. You see, the magic dampeners in place here don't affect certain abilities we have, like Camouflage. We would take turns randomly using it every so often when different guards were on their shifts. The blind panic some would get into thinking we had escaped was truly wonderful to watch. I would think we have tricked almost every single guard that does a shift here, but it might still work."

Renene was giggling ecstatically and urged them to play the trick on the guard bringing them their meal. The two thieves agreed to play it, but only if they stayed calm and did not ruin it. As the door at the end of the passage way creaked open both thieves vanished from sight. A stout Galka that could barely fit in between both rows of cells strode down and stopped outside their cell. He took a passing glance next door to them and then behind and grunted.

"I'm not stupid," the guard said and then turned to Alain. "You and your Tarutaru friends have been ordered to the palace immediately."

"Wait…just like that? That woman must not be wasting time…" he replied.

"I don't know why they want you, only that they do, so get over here. What a pity, we were just getting to know you as well. Follow me out the door at the end of the hall and don't try anything stupid, nothing gets by Unmoveable Mountain."

It seemed that the Zilart woman was truly ready for them and Alain was glad. Now he could get some answers for all his questions and he got away from the Gentleman Thief without ending up as an accomplice to an escape plan. Renene and Nokum-Akkum followed close behind and they were lead out of the prison.

-

"The door has closed…" Miledo-Shirado said.

"Indeed."

"So, what did you get? I stole that Summoner's hairpin while she was running around. I'll make a lock pick out of this in under a minute and be in the streets of Jeuno in five! Beat that, old man!"

The Gentleman Thief laughed, "Miledo, your sense of drama blinds you to simple _old fashioned_ methods. I have the keys. I knew it would be that stout Galka during this shift, it has been the same every third day. All I needed was someone to distract the guard long enough to reach for his belt. He would never have been lured into a conversation with you because of how brash you are. It appears that I am in debt to Alain once more, whether he knows it or not."

"Go to hell! …Wait, give me the keys after you're done."

"Perhaps. What will you do if I let you out?"

"Humph, go find out what Luto is up to I guess. This is all her fault."

"Farewell then, Miledo-Shirado," the Gentleman Thief said.

"Same to you, old man. _As thick as thieves_…"

The old Elvaan smiled, "You're using the old motto I taught all my students?"

"Humph."

-

Catherine and Hanaa travelled through the streets of Jeuno without any more problems from the Ducal Guards. There were enough in the street to have arrested them if the order was given, but it looked like Captain Wolfgang was honouring his agreement with Aldo for the time being. They headed for the hospital in Upper Jeuno that they had already been to when Alain had reappeared. At the reception desk they found Doctor Monberaux. He recognised them both and bid them good afternoon.

"You don't seem surprrrised to see us…" Hanaa purred.

"Ah, yes, well those two that arrived just a short time ago said that you both might appear. They asked that I give them and their sick friend some privacy. I am afraid that you two will have to remain here until they decide otherwise. Would you like some Windurstrian tea?"

There was something about Prishe that Brute and Ulmia were desperately trying to keep hidden. It was already obvious that she was not the age she looked, but the reason behind that had to be the thing they were concealing. Yet since Prishe had been brought there long before they had even arrived in Jeuno, Doctor Monberaux had to have at least given a preliminary examination to try and discover a cause for the affliction.

On behalf of them both, Catherine accepted the offer of tea and both followed the Elvaan Doctor to a kitchen to the east of the building. While the water boiled, Catherine asked if he had had time to examine Prishe.

"Yes, although I cannot find any reason for her coma. It is very similar to the one your friends were in when they arrived, though that does not help matters since they seemed to come round on their own rather than as a result of any treatments."

Catherine rubbed her shoulder, "What I actually meant, Doctor Monberaux, was did anything seem…strange? We do not know Prishe very well, but we have heard things that are a little confusing to say the least. She claimed to know Aldo's father, who past away quite some time ago."

His face turned stern, "Patient and Doctor Confidentiality means that I can say nothing regarding a patient's condition unless you are family or a legal guardian of said patient. Now, then…how about that tea?"

She caught Hanaa glancing over at her with equal suspicion. Monberaux had gone from angrily citing a quote from the laws by which he practised straight back to being kind and offering them drinks. The doctor _had_ discovered something about Prishe during his examination and was not willing to tell them what it was. In turn they accepted a glass and for a while nothing was said as all three took small sips of the flavoured green tea, but inwardly accusations were being thrown. Catherine respected the law, but how the doctor was reacting seemed more like the result of a threat from Brute than truly following the rules. It was like he wanted to tell them, or anyone, whatever he had found because of how amazing it was. She hoped Hanaa was reaching the same conclusions and was preparing to try and get the information out of him.

-

The grand palace in Ru'Lude Gardens was made from shining white marble that looked like it was polished every day. Unfortunately there was no time to look around at how the nobles and dignitaries lived as Alain, Nokum-Akkum, and Renene were frog marched into the palace and up a huge set of stairs. The room at the top guarded by two soldiers had been the chamber used for audiences with the Archduke. They were ordered inside and the doors were locked behind them.

Along a long carpeted hall were a few steps leading up to a throne, where Kam'lanuat had probably sat many times. Standing in front of the throne was the woman that had led the attack on Bahamut. To her side was another society member, or a Mammet, it was hard to tell at distance. At the base of the steps was a Hume he did not recognise.

The Hume was dressed in orange and black plate armour with intricate markings running down the front. Judging by the design of the markings, coupled with a Great Katana at his side, the person had to be a Samurai, but not one that was trained locally as they had no armour like that on the continent. His black hair was tied in a loop at the back of his head that was just visible over the top and he had a calm expression on a face that looked like it had seen a lot of battle despite his age.

"Alain, one of the six granted the title of Champion for defeating the Shadowlord once and for all…as per the goals of Kam'lanaut and his elder brother. Time is against us so let's do away with the formalities. My name is Esha'ntarl. This man next to me is Chief Scientist Kareh'ayollio."

"Leaving out the fact that you're both Zilart?" Alain retorted bitterly.

Esha'ntarl smiled, "Another formality to get out the way. There are more important things to discuss, Alain. You already know about the boy, but do you understand what his goal is? I thought not. Do you even know why Bahamut has been called?"

He shook his head.

"The boy is visiting crystals hidden in our land. He has successfully found three and drained them of their light, paving the way for the Emptiness to spread. He now goes to the fourth, hidden to the north, in the ancient ruins of Pso'xja. With each success he further damns the world. Show him the parchment, Kareh'ayollio."

The Chief Scientist of Jeuno slowly walked down the steps and outstretched a pale skinned arm holding an ancient looking book. Alain opened it at a marked page and tried to make sense of it. There was a sketch of a monster hanging over white buildings and to the right a page of text in some language he did not know. Underneath the writing a translation had been scrawled.

_Long ago there was a child born who came seeking Bahamut, a pact was made with that boy, and now it was to be fulfilled. The light would be given to the crystals once more. Innocent blood spills onto the plains of Vana'diel. The world shudders as she is thrust into chaos and despair. Neither power nor destiny can bring an end to what has begun. However, through the storm of night, a star of glory shines bright. Through the howling of the beast the song rings clear. Shining star, echoing song you are our dreams and prayers._

"What is this?" he asked

"We are told that it should be read melodically, as if it were a song verse."

"Told by whom?"

Eash'ntarl pointed to the silent Samurai.

"My name is Tenzen. I translated that verse with assistance from… Your name is Alain, correct? I have travelled here from the Far East to help in any way I can. The Emptiness has all but destroyed my home; perhaps we can stop the same from happening to yours."

Alain gulped, "The Emptiness…what is it?"

"Nothing," was Tenzen's swift reply. "Nothing…in the worst possible sense. It spreads like a plague, darkening the land and killing all life. From the darkness left behind strange creatures appear that seem to feast on memories of the living. Those that have survived attacks from the beasts often cannot even remember their own name. The shadow of the Emptiness spreads when the light of the crystals fade. We must stop this boy from finishing his mission."

Alain looked back at the page of text and again at the drawing of a monster floating over a structure of some kind. Ulmia had mentioned a song and they had all heard Nag'molada singing something to Bahamut. Was this what he had been singing all along? Yet Esha'ntarl did not know its meaning until Tenzen had somehow translated it, so how did the envoy know? This reminded him of what Bahamut had called Nag'molada and this spurred his next question.

"What are the Kuluu? How are they connected to Bahamut?"

Esha'ntarl frowned, "Yet more formalities? Do you not realize that you must hurry to Pso'xja? The Kuluu are a race that served the needs of the Zilart. Long ago, the Kuluu made a pact with Bahamut in order to protect the Gates of Paradise. Though the gates were opened no one passed through, yet this was still enough to summon the Wyrm King. The details of this pact are not yet clear, but this is; Bahamut's method of saving Vana'diel is to kill every last one of the five dominant races using an army of dragons."

Renene and Nokum-Akkum cowered together behind his legs.

She continued, "Do not concern yourself with Bahamut or his army – we will deal with him once our fleet is complete. Find your companions, stock up on whatever you need, and go after that boy. Oh, and if you should run into Nag'molada, tell him that I am…eager to speak with him."


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE: TRANSIENT DREAMERS

Catherine was astounded when Doctor Monberaux announced that Alain, two Tarutaru, and a Samurai had arrived. For a few seconds she imagined Rost appearing round the corner with them, but was mistaken. They met in the kitchen where she and Hanaa had still been sipping the tea given to them. She asked if they were unharmed and how they had managed to get out of prison, but Alain was more concerned with where Prishe was and what condition she was in. Ulmia and Brute were still alone with her in the patient room, so it was safe to say that she was still unconscious and unable to wake up. Hanaa asked what the sudden rush was for.

"I got some answers from that woman we saw in Riverne, her name is Esha'ntarl. That boy is visiting crystals and stealing the light from them. He wants to let the Emptiness spread like a disease and kill off everything. It's destroyed Tenzen's home and this land is next."

The Hume Samurai bowed in greeting to them and let Alain continue.

"The boy is heading north looking for somewhere call Pso'xja and already has a head start, so we need to leave soon."

Hanaa squinted, "We could leave now. Those two from Tavnazia don't want our help."

"No, I need to speak to Prishe about her amulet and why it looks like the one that boy gave me. I need to know what it's for. She might be connected to him as well, for better or for worse. These secrets they are keeping from us must be for a reason. Time's against us, so even if Brute argues I need to see her."

The doctor protested, urging against the possibility of violence as pointless, as even if he did barge in, Prishe would not be able to reply. Alain shook his head and insisted that he had to try and if he could not wake her then they would need to leave and concentrate on the boy. Catherine agreed, but was worried how Brute might respond. The Galka had already threatened the doctor to keep quiet about something. She shared this and Alain looked angry. Suddenly he stormed out the door towards the patients' rooms.

Everyone followed behind but did not catch up in time, Alain pushed open the patient room that he had originally woke up in. Inside, Ulmia and Brute turned around with shock and stood in front of Prishe's unconscious body. The Galka pointed at the door and ordered them out. While everyone else hung back at the door, Alain walked forwards.

"I'll try to wake Prishe. If I can't then we'll leave," Alain stated.

"No," was the stern reply.

"I wasn't asking permission."

Brute struck forwards with a mighty fist, only to have it caught in the air by Alain as a black aura grew around him. This took everyone by surprise, not least Brute who tried with all his strength to push down. Alain shifted sideways and moved his hand, tossing Brute over into the corner and through a wooden table. Brute stood back up and battered his fists together preparing to attack again.

"Stop it both of you!" Ulmia cried. "This fighting is pointless! Brute, if he thinks he can wake her then let him try! You aren't protecting Prishe by denying help and acting like this, you're hurting her!"

Brute growled an inaudible curse then said, "You're no Dark Knight, Hume. I've fought plenty in my time and not even fellow Galka could hold back my fist. That aura around you felt as dark as it looked, it was evil. You're some kind of monster."

Catherine gasped as Alain looked to the ground and sighed. The black aura was gone as soon as it arrived as if in conjunction with Alain ignoring any anger or hate he might be feeling. She went to his side and held his hand; he looked at her with longing eyes as if ashamed of his display of power and seeking redemption. Though she would not say it, she had never seen a Dark Knight do anything similar either and more than that; the feeling that black aura gave off scared her. He pulled away from her hand and stood next to the bed where Prishe slept.

"…Do either or you know where Prishe got her necklace? This one I have looks identical and the boy we're chasing is the one that gave it to me. Are they connected? Is Prishe like him?"

Ulmia shook her head, "No, that isn't possible. I admit that your necklace looks similar, but the one Prishe wears was a one of a kind gift from Cardinal Mildaurion many years ago. I don't know where she got it from…but no, whatever boy you are talking about has nothing to do with her."

As Alain leant over the unconscious girl his pendant slipped forwards and there seemed to be a reaction. There was a flash of light blue from both as if they were speaking to each other. There was a humming sound as Tenzen stepped forwards, cradling the hilt of his Great Katana as it seemed to shake violently. Ulmia stepped back behind Brute for fear that something was about to happen. Catherine wanted to move forwards but she was entranced by the blue lights. There was another flash, this time brighter than before.

-

Alain opened his eyes after the flash and was instantly aware that he was no longer inside Doctor Monberaux's hospital, or anywhere inside Jeuno for that matter. Dull orange brick walls lined three sides of him with no visible windows or doors and where the roof should have been was only darkness. There was a thud as Tenzen fell at his side, appearing out of no where. They stood up at the same time. Alain grabbed the Samurai by the neck.

"Did you do something? Where are we?"

Tenzen pushed him away, "I did nothing, calm yourself!"

He looked around again. Was he to blame? Had he teleported again somehow and only taken the person who was standing closest? No, that could not be it; Prishe was just as close, if not closer, than Tenzen had been when there was a second flash. Then he realized; was this something to do with the pendants reaction to each other? He looked down at his to see it was dormant once more.

"No exits, no breeze, yet breathable air," Tenzen mused as he looked around. "It appears that we only have one possible path to take; we should search for clues to where we are and how we got here." He paused and looked over to him, "Alain, you are looking at me as if you still believe me to be to blame – I assure you that I am not. You saw my sword shake, yes? I will explain in time but not while we may be trapped by our enemies, who could be listening to us at this very second."

He sighed, "All right, sorry. I have a hard time trusting Samurais. Let's go."

Drawing his scythe from his shoulder, Alain stood side-by-side with Tenzen as they cautiously walked down the only passage open to them. He noticed that the Samurai did not draw his weapon, but kept one hand around the tip of the sheath at all times ready to flick the hilt up in a second. Whatever lay ahead seemed to turn the air colder and a dark purple mist was present, obscuring their eyesight.

There was more than that however. Something felt strange and it was a feeling that Alain recognised. While in Dynamis it had had the same feeling of cold death and the same ever present darkness lingering over everything and distorting it. If they had been drawn into that ghost world again he suspected that they would need to fight through to try and get out, but against enemies that were neither alive nor dead that could prove a problem.

A moan rumbled down the passage as they approached an overpass. Tenzen gripped the hilt of his Great Katana as once more it shook and hummed as if answering the monstrous sound. In a large brown chamber, thick with purple mist, they appeared at an upper balcony overlooking a small square ground level with no visible way down. At the same time, they both noticed that there was something on the ground in the centre of the square. It was not moving and heavily obscured by the mist, but something was definitely there. Tenzen leant over the edge of the balcony and Alain copied, to try and see what was there.

"That's…Prishe?!" Alain exclaimed.

It was a small body lying on the ground within the mist and was not moving. When they both turned back, an open archway had appeared within the wall that had been blocking off the south of the large room. Even if they were being drawn into a trap, they could not leave Prishe there and ran through the new opening. They took a left after a short passage which led to stairs going down. In the middle of the large room, the stairs joined with a set leading down to where Prishe was and another set leading up to the opposite balcony on the far side.

At the bottom of the first set Alain froze on the spot while Tenzen continued past him down to the unconscious girl. He had spotted someone watching from the other balcony. A tall looming figure stared back, concealed by the mist. It was not the boy they had been chasing, they were far too tall. The figure, now fully aware that he had been spotted, shifted sideways and strode towards the stairs opposite him. Alain tightened his grip around his Scythe and prepared to attack.

He pulled back in shock, "Rost…"

"Alain, so good to see you again," the Elvaan Samurai replied.

His former companion had not changed since the last memory he had of them being together; fighting in Tu'Lia with Catherine close by. Everything after that was missing, as if stolen, but he knew they had met at least one more time before they ended up in Delkfutt's Tower. Rost's Great Katana was not in a sheath and pointed out by his side, as if he had been expecting them all along. Alain pulled back his Scythe and gritted his teeth.

"You'd use another innocent girl to draw me out? You're pathetic, Rost!"

The Samurai smirked, "Still as clueless as always. I did not lure you here, nor did I touch that girl. I was trapped here along with my companion while we were searching for something. This trap has backfired twice over now. First, it allowed me to see the silent boy's dreams and then it brought you here. You will break this place and release us all from _its _grip."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alain stated. "You're helping that boy? You don't understand what he's doing! He's trying to kill us all! He's spreading the Emptiness! What are you doing this for?"

"A purpose," was the cold reply.

Alain was not expecting Rost's free hand to shoot up and point a flat palm at him. A magic circle appeared around Rost as a spell was activated without speaking any words. He could not react fast enough as a purple circle appeared around his feet and chains shot up around his boots, holding him in place. Alain looked down in shock and tried to pull free, but the magic chains were too strong. With a snap of his fingers as he began to descend the stairs, glowing yellow bands appeared at Alain's sides before enclosing around his upper body, pinning his arms to his sides and causing him to drop his Scythe to the floor. Rost stood in front of him as he fought to break free. The Samurai moved closer and put his mouth to his ear.

"It's you that does not understand, Alain. What is life without purpose? You and I have been given a purpose; it is a gift from rival Gods. Paradise is lost to me, but my faith has been renewed ten fold. I will do what I was created to achieve, I will be a God's weapon. I do not care about anyone else, their lives are meaningless."

Alain stopped struggling, "You're insane."

"I didn't expect you to see sense, when have you ever? You have your God and I have mine. We died in Tu'Lia but were called back from the Mother Crystal with the silent boy. I will not forsake that gift just because other people will die as a result. We are destined to fight and for one to be left standing. I wonder; if I kill you here it will even make a difference? It's hard to tell within this place."

Rost raised his Great Katana, but suddenly leapt back as Tenzen rushed up the stairs to Alain's side. Tenzen pulled his sheathed katana from the side of his belt and held it up in front of Rost.

"And you must be my replacement," Rost smirked.

"Stand down," Tenzen ordered.

As Rost readied himself to attack, Tenzen flicked his finger upwards, as if summoning some deep power from within the Great Katana itself. The blade shook and resonated as it caught on fire, filling the room with amber light. It burned brighter than any Red Mage enhancement spell and filled the air with magical essence. Rost took a step back, in shock at the power coming from Tenzen's blade.

Another roar rumbled through the chamber, as if in defiance of the sword's power. They all turned and looked beyond where Prishe lay as a circular portal of some kind appeared. From it appeared the boy, still wearing the rags that looked like the ones Alain had worn for so long. He looked at them all and then at Prishe before kneeling at her side. Alain tried once more to break the magic holding him and was successful. He took up his Scythe from where it had landed and ran towards the boy, leaving Tenzen to handle Rost.

There was a few seconds where everything seemed to slow down. It gave him time to consider what he was about to do. Was he really going to strike the silent boy down? The boy had no armour and would be instantly killed. This was not the same as defeating a wild animal or a Beastman, was it really the right thing to do? He relented, but by then it was too late to stop his strike.

Just as the blade of his Scythe was about to touch the neck of his intended target, the boy vanished instantly. Alain stumbled and then swung on the spot, to see him at the top of the stairs behind Rost. Tenzen was equally as shocked and has been unable to trace the boy's movements either. Touching a wall next to them both, the boy opened a similar portal as he had appeared from and disappeared inside it with Rost following behind. Tenzen ran up the stairs but by the time he got there it was gone.

Turning back around, Alain fell backwards in shock as a winged beast stuck its face in front of his. The dark purple monster with a belly the colour of blood held its chin and almost chuckled with amusement at frightening him. Something felt familiar about this creature, but Alain was not sure why. Tenzen appeared at his side and held his flaming blade up between them, causing the monster to retreat slightly.

"So it truly is Phoenix! How is it that you exist in such a form?" the beast roared.

Tenzen lowered the blade, "Phoenix leant her power to me in order to save Vana'diel. She has told me who you are, Diabolos. You are the Avatar of Dreams and this is the Shrouded Maw – the gateway to your Realm of Dreams."

Looking back at the creature, Alain was stunned. They were in the presence of a real Avatar, not a shadow of one that Summoners could control. Then he looked to the blade in which the Avatar of Rebirth was apparently stored. How Tenzen could have convinced a being of such power to side with them was beyond his comprehension, but he would not take such an ally lightly.

"The Emptiness cannot be defeated by any power that Phoenix possess," Diabolos replied and scratched his bony chin once more. "I suppose you will try to ask my assistance now as well, resurrecting old ties? You have ruined what little I was willing to do by freeing that boy."

"Hope is not lost," the Samurai insisted.

"What hope has your kind got?" the Avatar sternly asked. "You are tainted, just as the other four races are. Yes you might fight and struggle, unwilling to face annihilation, but do you not see what is at work here? The Emptiness is not without its purpose. Who am I to stand in its way? Who is Phoenix to dare such a thing?"

Alain stood up, "There has to be some way!"

Diabolos thought for a moment, "Perhaps there is. Though your bodies would be consumed along with everyone else's, your consciousness can live on in my dreams. Join me in Dynamis and you would escape the inevitable pain that will rain down."

"…You coward."

Tenzen and Alain looked down and saw Prishe slowly getting to her feet. Eventually she managed it, refusing Alain's hand to help her. She looked up at the Avatar of Dreams and repeated her insult. The winged beast pulled forwards, but then remembered that Phoenix burned nearby.

"You want to run and hide in a dream? What kind of Avatar are you?"

The mist seemed to clear around them and the room became brighter.

"We need to fight if we want to stop this Emptiness!"

Diabolos retreated closer to the portal from which the boy had appeared as the light in the room seemed to grow again. Landing on the floor and retracting his wings, the Avatar shielded his eyes and questioned how such a small girl gave off such powerful energy. Then, as if realizing something, he lowered his thin claw and sneered.

"This is not my dream," the Avatar said. "It is yours."

Around them all a brilliant white light spread, consuming everything. Alain lost all sense of direction as it felt like he was being pulled away from the Shrouded Maw to somewhere more familiar. He was not the one doing this; he knew it for certain this time. It was Prishe. If the Avatar spoke truthfully, then they had all been inside her dream manifested and now she was waking up.

Alain stumbled forwards as his knees gave way. He fell against the side of a bed and smacked his chin off the top. As he toppled backwards he saw Tenzen stumble next to him and a familiar roof above. Nokum-Akkum and Renene appeared at either side of his face and asked why he fell over. Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead and asked if they saw anything that happened. Everyone in the patient room seemed oblivious. Desperately seeking proof that he was not going crazy, he looked to Tenzen who was clearly shaken as well.

The Hume Samurai explained that somehow they had both been drawn into the Shrouded Maw, the area between reality and dreams, and met with the Avatar known as Diabolos. Hanaa called them crazy and said that all they did was stumble and fall over, no time had past since the pendant flashed twice. Alain stood up and confirmed that they had travelled somewhere, even though it seemed like everything else had stopped in the mean time. He went on to say how they had seen Prishe and she had argued with the Avatar after waking up. Reluctantly, he then mentioned Rost and the boy they were chasing being there and that Rost had somehow learned Black Magic.

"Rost?" Catherine questioned. "How is that possible? I mean…the Shrouded Maw? If you were both taken there maybe what you saw was just a dream of some kind, Diabolos trying to trick you for some reason."

"No, they were really there," he insisted. "Diabolos had trapped them there but we accidentally set them free somehow. Now they can go straight to the crystal, it's our fault! We need to hurry there, we need directions. Can Phoenix show us where to go?"

Everyone was confused, he realized that they had not seen Tenzen's sword erupt in magical flames that were strong enough to hold back Diabolos. The Samurai reluctantly explained that Phoenix had given a part of herself to his blade in order to help fight the Emptiness and that he had hoped to recruit more Avatars to their side. Catherine pointed out that Bahamut was already preparing to attack the cities of Vana'diel so he would find no help there and that there was something wrong with the Elemental Avatars which was causing their lesser versions to sometimes fail to summon.

"Mostaru are working again!" Renene shouted louder than was needed. "Mr Carbuncle still won'taru play, the doggie appears instead of him."

Tenzen looked surprised, "You are speaking of Fenrir? He was one of the Avatars that I hoped to seek the assistance of…as was Bahamut. For you to summon a lesser version of him, Fenrir's flow must be being disrupted by the crystal line fading and is feeding small parts into those attune to such things, like Summoners. Of the five Avatars that fought a great evil once before, we can only focus on Carbuncle."

They wanted to know what battle Tenzen was talking about. He described a fight that Phoenix had shown him in which she, Fenrir, Carbuncle, Bahamut, and Diabolos all fought many years ago. It was an alliance that he had hoped to forge once more to help protect the crystals from the danger the boy posed. But now Diabolos was content with hiding in the Realm of Dreams, Fenrir was being adversely affected by the fading crystals, and Bahamut had resorted to some failsafe plan that amounted to the total genocide of five races.

"Renene said that she can't summon Carbuncle, so he's probably being affected like you believe Fenrir to be," Catherine stated. "I'm not sure trying to find him would solve anything."

Alain stated, "Rost and the boy are the real danger. We need to get to Pso'xja as fast as possible, before it's too late! We don't have time to try and find Carbuncle, he might not even agree to help – all the others didn't."

Tenzen nodded, "A fair point. To avoid putting our faith in only one option, we should split up and pursue both. If one fails at least the other might succeed. Phoenix can convince Carbuncle to help us, I am sure of it. I will seek him out and speak with him. I will leave the boy and his protector to you."

Renene announced that she would join 'The Adventure to find Mr Carbuncle' as she wanted to make sure that he was alright. Nokum-Akkum rolled his eyes and then raised his hand while looking at the ground, signalling that he would have to go along with Tenzen as well. Alain asked if his friend was sure that was alright, given his sworn oath not to let him run off alone, but the Tarutaru huffed and said that he had to look after Renene (triggering a kiss attack that he was unprepared for).

"Man, I feel like I got hit by a meteor…" someone mumbled.

While Nokum-Akkum frantically tried to pull away from Renene, and creating quite the spectacle as he did, no one saw that Prishe had not only woken up, but sat up in bed and was watching along with them. She stretched and yawned loudly, grabbing everyone's attention. Ulmia cried with relief and ran to her while Brute watched on with folded arms and a content look on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," Prishe insisted. "Hey you two, what happened to Diabolos?"

The looks everyone gave at that point annoyed Alain. It was looks that said 'they weren't making it up after all?' despite everything they had described. Nevertheless, they had been proven truthful. Everything that happened in the Shrouded Maw was real, at least, as real as it could be. Prishe said that she heard them talking, about Carbuncle and the boy that had spoken to her.

"Wait…the boy spoke to you?" Alain questioned. "Rost implied that he never spoke."

"Who's Rost? Never mind. That pale kid spoke to me, heard him clear as day."

Catherine asked, "What did he say to you?"

Prishe paused with an open mouth and then closed it again, before saying that she could not remember for some reason. It was hard to tell if that was a lie or the truth, given that she had so many secrets already. She tapped the middle of her forehead with her finger, but eventually gave up.

"You said we don't have much time, right?" she asked. "Let's get going."

It seemed like she was inviting herself along, but Alain would not allow that this time – not without answers. He walked over to her and was sure that both pendants reacted to each other again. He asked her to tell them the truth, to reveal whatever it was that she was trying to hide from them all and that it was the only way he would let her travel with them. At first she threatened to break his jaw, but hesitated as she met his gaze.

"Fine…"

Ulmia and Brute both cried at once, "No!"

"Shut up the both of you," was the rude response from the girl. "I'm not a baby; I don't need you two making decisions for me or trying to protect me. I don't know what's going on, but there's a connection between what happened to me, these pendants, and that boy that spoke to me. Since it seems like this guy here fits in somewhere as well, he should hear about…that thing."

Both Ulmia and Brute regretfully accepted that they could not stop her from speaking. Everyone gathered round, prepared to hear her story.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: PRISHE

There were many questions regarding the Elvaan girl, who looked no older than a teenager. Why did she seem to know people far older than her or those who had died during the war? Why did she seem both revered and feared by the people of Tavnazia and given the title of Abhorrent One? What was her connection to the silent boy and his goal of spreading the Emptiness?

Prishe began her story with what the boy had said to her inside the Shrouded Maw. Alain pointed out once more that the boy did not seem to be able to speak. How he was able to say anything to her she could not say, but Prishe stated that she definitely heard his voice near her ear just before getting up. She admitted, however, that she did not actually see his mouth move as her eyes were closed and could not be sure that it was not some trick by Diabolos for whatever reason.

"The Twilight God seeks his resurrection and death," the boy had said.

Ulmia and Catherine both knew who the Twilight God was; Promathia. The name that had been spoken by Bahamut and seemingly was the enemy behind the Emptiness. Alain now understood that the silent boy was doing Promathia's bidding and, by extension, so was Rost. The Emissary of the Dusk served the Twilight God and the Emissary of the Dawn served the Dawn Goddess.

So that was his place in things; Altana had chosen him to defeat Promathia's chosen one. It had to have been while he and Rost fought in Xarcabard so long ago, when they felt a burning hatred for one another that seemed unnatural. Was it all artificial? He wanted to believe that at least some of the hate was real; he did not like the idea that everything from that day was controlled by Gods. He sighed as the story continued.

Promathia was known to most of Tavnazia, from ancient texts. Before the war, the Cathedral of Tavnazia began collecting many rare artefacts from around Vana'diel at a very high expense. Their reason for this rabid collecting of these artefacts was to further study the existence of paradise and the Dawn Goddess. Unlike the San d'Orian church, they did not just wish to worship the Gates of Paradise, but open them. Unlike the Zilart princes, who sought to open the gates to cross over, Tavnazian priests wished to open the gates to meet Altana and pray for the curse of Promathia to be removed.

The curse and what it entailed was not as widely known. The priests that feverously studied this subject did not openly discuss it and only had said that there was some dark taint on every major species from the point of birth. They believed this to be a curse from Promathia meant to disrupt Altana's creations. Fearing some great tragedy some time in the future, this was why the priests sought paradise.

It soon became apparent to the priests that paradise was beyond their reach. The Zilart and their superior technology would later discover the way and set out the elaborate plan they had all been involved in, but they would never live to see such things. After regretfully accepting this, they changed their focus to studying the technology left behind in an effort to bring Altana into their existence, rather than cross over to her.

A lot was said about Prishe when she was born. She could not speak about her parents; she had been told that they died when she was still a baby. Her earliest memories were littered with the priests telling her that she was special, a Child of Destiny. She never understood why they thought she was special. She was ordered to attend ceremonies, services, and prayers almost every day.

One day there was a different kind of extra special ceremony, she was not sure what was going on, but had been led by two of the priests into a hidden area in the aqueducts beneath Tavnazia. There was a box there, white with a cross around it that glimmered magically, that she had to pray in front of while they chanted by her sides. She remembered feeling strange, like something was happening, and that she did not like it.

She felt like she was being used by the priests to their own selfish ends. Alain knew how it felt to be used by someone else and sympathised with her. She tried to get away, to run back to her friends, but the priests tried to stop her. A blinding light came from the box as it opened to reveal a shining centre just as she was grabbed by the arms. Something went wrong, horribly wrong.

Prishe sat back on the bed and undid the top of her blouse. Underneath the cloth was a chunk of black crystal, embedded in her chest. The doctor looked away, confirming that this was what he had discovered during his examination. Alain thought back to Eald'narche, one of the Zilart princes, who had crystal lodged in his eye. It had given him tremendous power, assuming this crystal was the same it would explain the extraordinary strength Prishe had. She pulled her blouse back round and hid the crystal once more. As if reading his mind, she corrected Alain's thoughts, and stated that it was a piece of magicite stuck in heart.

How the wound did not kill her she could not say, but there was even more to it than that. From the day of the accident she did not age a single day, nor did she wound easily or feel much pain. For all extends and purposes, she was immortal. It was from that day that she was given the name by which most of Tavnazia would address her; the Abhorrent One. It was a punishment, for ruining their chances at bringing Altana to them and seeking the help they needed. They blamed her for everything, treated her like an outcast.

She had met Ulmia when the Bard was just a child and loved to hear her sing in the choir or alone along the cliffs of Riverne. Her inability to die saved her during the Crystal War, which erupted not long after the accident. The priests tried to keep her prisoner when war was declared, but Cardinal Mildaurion protected her from them. Not only them, but the survivors who knew what she was and what she was a symbol of. Even after the Safehold was established and all the priests were gone she was still given that name to live by.

Amongst the survivors, after the disaster, was a skilled Galkan Monk who had trained under some well known master on the main land years before. Although she had been forced to learn White Magic while being held by the priests, Prishe decided that she wanted to learn how to fight. At first the Galka refused, but after a display of the new strength she was capable of, quickly changed his mind. She studied with him for years and eventually mastered hand to hand combat.

The cardinal appeared out of no where, she said she had been travelling the world seeking enlightenment, but had come to them after hearing about the studies they were carrying out regarding Altana and Promathia. During the war, the cardinal took control and helped protect Tavnazia, but went missing after the capital was destroyed and the land was torn and cast out into the sea. The amulet Prishe wore had been a present during the early stages of the war.

"That's all there is to it," she said next. "That's my life story, pretty boring."

"You are remarkably light hearted considering what you have been through," Catherine responded.

Prishe rubbed her nose and shrugged.

Tenzen shook his head, "I am sorry for your condition, but we must move on."

"That's what I was trying to say in the first place!" Prishe retorted. "Well, Mr Dark Knight? Did that satisfy your curiosity? I'm an immortal girl with a magic rock in my chest – that good enough for you? Let's go find this boy and put an end to this."

Alain apologised for demanding to hear the story, but it did not appear to sadden her at all, despite the awful life she seemed to have had at the hands of priests who believed she was special in some way. Perhaps they had believed that she could help them reach Altana somehow, but with all the priests long dead they would have no way of finding out the truth.

Tenzen addressed Nokum-Akkum and Renene, "My small friends, if you wish to accompany to me to find Carbuncle then we should get going. The woman I spoke with on behalf of the Archduke has pledged her full support, so I believe that I can request a fast scout ship to carry us."

The Tarutaru's agreed and bid their farewells to everyone. Nokum-Akkum made Alain kneel down and threatened right in his ear that he better not do anything stupid while he was gone or else he would attack his ankle again and probably keep it. Not doubting that his friend was serious, Alain promised that he would not go disappearing again. Renene ran a few circles around Brute, calling him grouchy as she did, before running out the door with Tenzen and Nokum-Akkum close behind. The doctor declared that he would see them out and also left.

"So…we are to take your airship to this Pso'xja?" Ulmia asked.

"You aren't," Prishe butted in. "I want you and Brute to go back to Tavnazia."

Brute stepped forward and demanded to know why.

"I've broken your jaw enough times for you to know I can take care of myself, Brute. Shut up and listen for once. When I first got here I tried to get an airship back to Tavnazia, I thought you were still back there. That Aldo guy said that someone had already tried to get an airship there. I did some digging and it turns out it's that guy that we saw singing to Bahamut, that Kuluu guy. I don't know what he's up to, but it isn't good. Tavnazia might be in danger, so I want you two to go back there and stop him."

"We can give you two a pearrrl to stay in contact," Hanaa proposed. "It'll worrrk at any range and what's more the Highwind isn't restrrricted in where it can go. We can get to Tavnazia at the first sign of trrrouble."

They did not have time to sit through another argument and whether Prishe would successfully convince her friends to go back home to find out what Nag'molada was up to was up to her. Alain motioned to Hanaa and Catherine to follow him out. They had to get in contact with Samuel and Pops so the Highwind would be ready for take off. As they went, they heard shouting from the patient's room, but chose to leave them to it.

The Highwind had picked them up from Batallia Downs a short time after leaving the hospital. Prishe had eventually joined them after a prolonged argument with her friends and was now in one of the spare rooms on the middle deck. Catherine chose to spend the travel time doing as much research as possible on Altana and Promathia. The study on the upper deck she had originally used to research Mammets had a large selection of literature, but most of it was far too modern to accurately describe anything that went on before the first war, let alone hundreds of years ago. Anything that Cid's researchers had deemed relevant to the Zilart was included though and this connected to the pursuit of paradise and that was a start.

While looking through piles of books, scrolls, and papers that had been thrown all over the room, she thought about Prishe and her condition. The ceremony she was taking part in was like nothing she had heard of. The priests of the churches she studied in prayed to Altana during each service but had never went as far as trying to meet her. It seemed impossible to her to even consider finding a way to speak with the Dawn Goddess, yet the Tavnazian priests must have found something for them to put Prishe through so much.

She did not believe in immortality. While it was obvious now that Prishe had not aged a day since the incident and that she was far stronger than normal people, that did not mean that she could not be killed. No doubt over the years Prishe had tested the limits of what power the magicite had given her, but Catherine could not help but wonder what problems it would cause as well.

A transcript of some passages of a book about Paradise caught her eye, she scanned over them but saw nothing that could help their situation. In the next pile was a collection of old maps. They looked at least a few years old if not older. The glacier and the areas north of it were the key points of the two biggest maps; they were probably from the last war as a number of places had worn ink notes near them. While not helping their main goal, these could at least help them find where they should enter Pso'xja. Collecting up the relevant map detailing Beaucedine Glacier, she headed down to the pilot area.

Samuel was doing another shift at the wheel of the Highwind and bid her good evening as she entered. Looking out towards the main window, she was surprised that it was dark outside. She had spent far longer than she had meant to, looking for information to help them. Heading over the console in front of the map of the world, she spread out the glacier map and began to check it against the other, making sure it was the correct thing she was looking at.

Though details in the landscape were slightly different, the map she had found was most definitely of Beaucedine. She traced a few locations on the older map that had ink next to them to the much larger world map to try and pinpoint an entrance.

"What's that you have there?" Samuel asked from the wheel.

"I found an old map that I believe has the answers to finding Pso'xja. Unfortunately, if I'm reading these old notes right, there is more than one entrance. In fact, it looks like Pso'xja is a series of ancient tunnels beneath the very glacier, who knows how long they have existed. That would explain how enemy units got around so quickly during the war; it might even connect to Fei'Yin, or explain the disappearance of the Hydra Corps."

"I don't think we're heading there to get a history lesson," the young Ranger quipped.

Catherine huffed, "I'm well aware of that!"

She made out some writing next to one of the possible entrances and was sure that it was stating that the way was closed off. There was not enough information in the notes scribbled on the map to be sure of whether or not they had the means to now break in. To her dismay, she found similar notes written next to the only other entrances marked on the map. She shared this troubling news with Samuel.

He thought for a moment, "If one of those entrances is on a raised hill, we could always try and take a shot at it with our new cannon. It fires built up energy from the crystals in the engine – its super hot and even magical, so it'll bust through almost anything no matter how reinforced. It's not exactly subtle…but it's not like the Northlands are crawling with Kindred anymore."

"I like your style!" someone shouted from the door.

Prishe walked in with her hands behind her head and a sly smile, probably thinking about the power of the cannon. Catherine sighed but could not offer up any better ideas about how to get inside Pso'xja, if every entrance was sealed. Even if they got there before the boy they still had to find the crystal and guard it in person, they could not take the chance of standing guard outside with there being more than one entrance. Prishe looked at the consoles lining each side of the pilot area and whistled.

"Never been on one of these before," she mused. "Seems weird…flying without wings."

"I forgot that you have never travelled on an airship before," Catherine said. "Only prototypes were finished during the war, by the time commercial travel started Tavnazia was lost. Would you like a tour of the Highwind?"

"I've been looking around since we left the city. That old guy on the lower level complains a lot, didn't like me looking around the noisy machines down there. The hum is even louder down there, but it's strangely soothing."

The noise an airship made separated people into two distinct groups; those who loved the hum of the engines and those who did not. People would usually make up their minds the very second their first airship trip began. Catherine thought back, trying to remember when she had first went on one, but she just could not think of when that was. It may have been when she moved back to Bastok. Prishe was looking at the old map and then glancing at the new one that she had left over on one of the consoles. Catherine walked over.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" she asked the girl.

"Won't know till you ask it," was the quick reply.

"Does your wound hurt…that magicite, I mean?"

Prishe whistled but did not look at her, "Pretty personal question you're asking there."

Catherine apologised.

"No, it's fine, if you answer one of my questions first that is. Are you and that Dark Knight that seems to lead your group…together? Like, married, or a couple? Are you in love?"

She could not help but blush and get flustered at the brazen way Prishe could ask such a personal thing, and then wondered if it was on purpose for asking about the magicite without really knowing her very well. Once more Catherine apologised and did not answer the question that had been given to her. Prishe turned to her and said she was not trying to get her own back and that she was just curious.

"We…we…it's hard to explain," she stuttered. "Alain and I…we're…"

"Sounds like you are," Prishe replied. "I don't really understand that. Love, I mean. After that accident I didn't really understand much of how people acted. It's like my brain got stuck with only what I'd learned by then and I was just a kid. I find it hard to express myself in any other way. That's the answer to your question, by the way. I don't have any physical pain, but I think it affected me in other ways."

Unsure of what to say, she looked to the floor. Prishe's unashamed admittance of what she did (or did not, as the case may be) feel after what had happened to her was humbling. Being so open about her feelings was a trait that usually only Mithra and Tarutaru had. Elvaan, Galka and Humes were all bad at showing a sensitive side, a weakness. The reason for each was different. Elvaan always wanted to remain strong and never show weakness to others. Galka were very private and would hide feelings well. Humes were stricken with apathy. Despite these inherent traits there were always exceptions. People would share feelings with those they cared about, given the right circumstances. Maybe she had just not found the right situation yet to be as open as someone like Prishe.

-

Justinius, captain of the Tavnazian Guard and protectors of the Safehold, stormed towards the meeting chamber that had been used by the guests that had appeared out of no where just a few days before and left almost as quickly. The arrival of those strangers had set everything in motion; they had been discovered by the main land once more. But they did not require saving, they had survived for years alone.

Dignitaries, emissaries, and traders from Jeuno had all came in airships with promises of opening trade routes, securing the land and quelling the Beastman survivors. There were those who were ready to accept any help, but Justinius did not trust the black robed men from Jeuno. He had received word that on a different looking airship to all the others the Chief Envoy had returned with three Tarutarus by his side.

Prishe was still missing and nothing had been heard of from Ulmia, Brute, or the strangers that they chose to travel with. The strangers who tried to speak with Bahamut were the more trustworthy of the two, the only ones he was sure would not betray them and help find the Abhorrent One. Though most people hated her, they understood that Prishe had to stay in the Safehold and hoped that she would be brought back soon. Reaching the meeting chamber, Justinius tried to calm himself as he let himself in.

"Despachiaire, what is this Hume doing here?" he asked angrily.

"Humph," the Hume smirked. "That was not so much a question as an order for a response. Is that any way to treat the Chief Envoy of Jeuno, soldier? Our nation is freely helping you rise from the squalor you have existed in at our own personal expense, when we could just as easily leave you to rot."

Ready to shout a reply, Justinius was silenced by Despachiaire. The aging Elvaan was their leader and he could not disobey an order. He glared at the Hume known as Nag'molada in silence, and was further infuriated when he shot him another smirk before turning back around. Hearing some subdued giggling from his side, Justinius looked behind the door to see the Chebukki siblings. Realizing that he was looking at them, they stood in a line with hands on their hips.

"You're so smelly!"

"You're so ugly!"

"You're so stupid!"

With that they ran round his legs a few times before disappearing out the door.

Calming himself, Justinius walked over to the main table, "Why has the envoy returned to Tavnazia? The traders that arrived have already begun setting up a trade route and an Auction House."

Despachiaire said, "He has come for the Star of Tavnazia."

He could not hide his shock.

"And the quicker you give it to me, the better," Nag'molada muttered.

"That is one of the few surviving treasures saved from ruin during the war!" he insisted. "We cannot hand over such a precious thing to this person from Jeuno! What possible reason could they have for wanting it?"

Nag'molada turned swiftly in his direction and walked towards him at a fast pace. Justinius held one hand over to the hilt of his short sword, prepared in case the envoy was stupid enough to try and fight him. The Chief Envoy of Jeuno stopped just in front of his face.

"Yet another fool, trying to hide what you really know. Tavnazia was close to discovering the truth about paradise, about Altana and Promathia. You saw the signs, you knew of Bahamut and his appearance, yet you hid it from your precious Child of Destiny. Now you're panicking because she has gone missing, you fear that she truly will be the one chosen to bring about the end. Had you been honest with me in the first place, had I only known, I would not be as pushed for time as I am now. There is no time for this pointless conversation." Nag'molada looked back at Despachiaire, "Elvaan, bring me the Star of Tavnazia now or I will retrieve it myself."

Justinius reached for his blade.

-

"Why do you relent?" Rost asked.

The silent boy stood before the crystal buried deep within the northlands looking at it longingly. It was the largest that they had discovered so far and lit the room far brighter than even the sun could. Rost walked over to the boy and looked at him, suspecting that perhaps the brightness was somehow hindering him, yet that did not seem to be the case. He looked into the shimmering blue crystal and huffed as it seemed to react to his gaze in either defiance or empathy.

Taking a few steps back, he looked around in each corner of the room; there were no shadows, no place for the Emptiness to freely flow. Only the boy could summon it into the chamber and even then it would not be at its full strength unless he drained the crystal first. He reiterated his question to the boy, even though he knew that he could no longer answer after they had escaped the Shrouded Maw. With no other option open to him, he took to asking direct questions.

"…Are you waiting for something?"

The boy eventually nodded.

"…Must I do something?"

The boy shook his head.

"Then…are you waiting for Alain."

The boy nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE KEEPER

The small red airships of the Jueno military, built to be extremely quick and quiet, startled Nokum-Akkum. They reached their destination far faster than the Highwind ever would have. He wanted to steal their secrets to make the Highwind better, but it looked like the only crew on board were Mammets. He hated those lifeless dolls and had tried to explain to Tenzen what they were, as best he could remember from Cathy's overly long explanation, but he probably did not succeed. After that he tried to tell him about the Archduke and all the bad things those in control of Jeuno had been part of and still the Samurai would not listen.

"I cannot judge them on past events when they willingly help us now," Tenzen had said. "If you speak the truth then I will be more cautious, but in this matter we have a common enemy, so they would be incredibly foolish to turn on us."

The bits of that sentence he understood made it sound like Tenzen knew not to trust Jeuno, but was anyway because right now they were after the same target. After getting all that clear in his head he did his best to explain it to Renene and now they were preparing to jump from the airship through the lower deck like they had done in the Highlands not so long ago.

Phoenix had told Tenzen to seek out Carbuncle somewhere in La Theine Plateau. The airship had slowed down once they reached the region and a large set of stones forming a circle in a low field between two peaks in the northern section looked slightly out of place. Although there was no reaction from Tenzen's sword, he had decided that the magic in the air felt strong enough to warrant landing and examining the area closer. Nokum-Akkum gloated that their airship could land and did not need some stupid lift to lower people down, but it did not seem to impress the Samurai. The Tarutaru began to wonder if all Samurai were the same.

With the support of Tenzen's shoulder, he and Renene managed onto the grass fields of the plateau easily. Luckily there was not nearly as much of a breeze as there had been in the Highlands. Tenzen put a hand over his brow and looked off in the distance, scoping out the way they would go. The airship could not land very close due to the jagged peaks surrounding the area so they would have to run a short distance north across the flat lands. Unfortunately they were in a rush, meaning Nokum-Akkum could not go looking for some Orcs that had wandered too far from Davoi and needed to be taught a lesson.

Renene sneezed as they approached the stones, "This area smells of magic!"

The three companions stood in the centre of the circle of stones in silence, waiting for something to happen. Just as Nokum-Akkum could not subdue a snore any longer they heard a whistle that could not have been the wind. It was unnatural, almost like someone making a tune. The sound of the tune seemed to fade in and out from different sections of the circle of stones. Above them appeared a bright light and then a familiar summoning circle that caused Renene to clap her hands and cheer. Floating high above them appeared Carbuncle, the Avatar of Rainbows.

"Such a cheerful Tarutaru, I remember you," the Avatar said.

Renene jumped up and down, "Mr Carbuncle! I collected those weathers for you!"

Carbuncle began to fade away. The whistling of a tune moved, he was behind them now standing on top of one of the stones with a content look on his face. Renene was delighted by this display of instant movement.

"Hello to the rest of you as well; Samurai Tenzen, Warrior Nokum-Akkum, and my dear friend Phoenix."

Tenzen stepped forward and bowed his head before declaring that they had come seeking Carbuncle's help. As he looked up, Carbuncle had moved, so he had to turn again. He spoke of Diabolos and the Avatar's decision to remain in Dynamis to avoid the coming danger and then of Bahamut and his army intent on destroying every city on Vana'diel. Renene piped in that she was no longer able to summon the Avatar and could instead only get a dog.

"Oh, Fenrir?" Carbuncle questioned. "That may be how he is willing to help you, use his strength wisely, cheerful Tarutaru. My friend Diabolos is set in his ways; I believe he tried and failed to help and now is doing what he thinks is best. Bahamut is set in his ways as well, he will carry out the instructions in the pact which binds him should everything fall into place."

"Then what can we do to stop this?" Tenzen asked.

Carbuncle's long glowing tail poked out from behind one of the larger stones.

"Bahamut awaits a signal," was the reply. "The Keeper of the Apocalypse will appear, the darkness will spread as Promathia is awakened, and Bahamut will set about his mission to cleanse the world and the time of Wyrms will begin."

"So we must find and stop this Keeper…it must be him! The others were right to go straight after him in Pso'xja after all. Thank you for your guidance, Carbuncle. Is there anything else you can do to help us against this dangerous enemy?"

Carbuncle disappeared once more and then poked out from behind another one of the stones.

"Pso'xja? There is more to that place than you might know. Your friends do not know either, nor do they realize that they are being guided by the enemy. I can give a little of what power I have left, but you already have Phoenix…"

Tenzen looked down as his blade shook violently as if opposing something.

"We cannot avoid this," Carbuncle said, directly addressing Phoenix before looking back at them. "There are dangers in Avatars giving strength to mortals in this way; she fears that if I do the same it will bring about the awakening of the Avatars all the quicker. When we fully awaken, a battle between the Terrestrial Avatars and the Gods will begin, but if we do nothing then all is lost. Cheerful Tarutaru, I see you have a Prayer Stone on your staff and it has given you strength in the past…take my power and renew its glow. May it protect you from the calling of the Twilight God."

A bright rainbow coloured light surrounded Renene, shocking both of them as they had to shield their eyes. Seconds later it vanished, as did Carbuncle, leaving Renene standing in silence with her staff in her hands while small specs of light fell to the floor. Suddenly, she sneezed, causing Nokum-Akkum to jump with surprise. As she sneezed the once dim red stone on the top of her staff glowed brightly with every colour of the rainbow and at the same time her garments seemed to change into a light blue colour.

"New shiny-whiny clothes?!" she exclaimed.

Nokum-Akkum was about to compliment the new clothes, but fearing some sort of kiss as a result decided not to say anything. Tenzen thanked Carbuncle even though the Avatar had gone and then turned to them.

"We must hurry to Pso'xja."

-

Alain had barely enough time to put his thick black and red trimmed armour back on before the call came over the ship's communication pipes that they were nearing their destination. He had only gotten half way through a thundermelon, which was as close to a meal as he was going to get for now. He heard everyone else moving towards the front of the airship outside his door and followed quickly behind.

The Highwind was hovering steadily before a large cliff side. It looked like Samuel was trying to line them up with a huge hollowed out tree trunk, which rivalled the presidential office in Bastok in size, just on top of the cliff side. The trainee Ranger was giving orders over the pipes to the engine room, which made a change. Pops did not complain; it seemed like when it came to using the airship's weaponry, it was Samuel who was the expert.

"Power…check. Propeller levelling…check," Samuel muttered to himself. "You all better hold onto something, we're about to fire and I'm not sure how this will go. We need to compensate for the movement the front cannon will cause and I'm not sure how much of a punch it has. Steam….check."

"Wait…" Catherine stuttered. "You mean to say that you have never fired this before?"

Samuel turned and grinned, "Well we can't just randomly fire a cannon that uses pure crystal energy as ammunition from a hidden dock, can we? Chief Engineer Cid gave us loads of documentation from tests he ran…it only really took into consideration firing it in open sky mind you, but in theory we should be fine."

Alain looked over to Catherine and Hanaa to make sure that they had the same look of unsettledness that Samuel's attempt at reassurance had caused him to make. The hum of the engines grew louder as it looked like the final checks were completed. Alain shifted silently over to the side console, ready to grab onto it for dear life if they were about to be catapulted backwards. Catherine and Hanaa did the same, but Prishe seemed defiant and stood in the middle of the pilot area with her hands on her sides.

"Three...two…one… Fire!"

The front window lit up a brilliant gleaming blue as a collected ball of energy fired from the cannon mounted on the front of the ship. The Highwind seemed to groan as it was pushed back by the force created at unleashing the build up, rocking them badly. Alain dropped to his knees as he clung to the console. Prishe had ended up on her back and had rolled onto her side. As the blue light left the front of the ship they all watched as it struck into the hollow tree trunk.

The second that the attack connected with the side of the ancient tree it exploded. The blast spread, consuming the tree entirely sending shards of dead wood in all directions. The airship shook again as the debris cascaded down on it. One by one they approached the front window to try and see if they had successfully opened up the way into their destination.

"There…I see something," Hanaa stated and pointed forwards.

It looked as though the explosion had ripped straight into the land below the tree as well, further confirming just how strong it had been. Within the crater it looked like there were the remnants of stairs and a chamber at the bottom. The blast had done more damage than was needed, but it looked like a way had been opened without causing the whole passage to collapse completely. Samuel congratulated himself on his first successful firing of the main gun and raised a thumb at the rest of them. Prishe glared at him as she brushed herself down, causing him to cough and turn back to the main wheel.

"We'll need to move away from the cliff to touch down," Samuel said as the airship began to rise. "Can't risk setting down right next to the hole in case it comes away completely. Looks like I can touch down pretty nearby, the wall will be a bit close though."

"Put us above the hole, we'll use the rope ladder," Alain said.

Samuel seemed startled by his suggestion, though he was not sure why. It seemed the best strategy; time was against them after all. Fearing that he was ordering them to do something stupid, he asked why Samuel had reacted like that. Reluctantly, the pilot muttered that he had hoped to come with them.

"We appreciate your offer, Samuel," Catherine smiled, "but we cannot leave the Highwind unguarded."

"The Highwind's new defence systems can stay up far longer than before, nothing would even be able to get on the upper deck and besides, this place isn't crawling with Kindred anymore. I've been training, learning how to track and hunt, I can help you find Rost and the boy faster!"

He thought for a moment. Was the young Hume just boasting in an effort to come along or did he genuinely believe that he could help them find their target faster? Alain was no good at this, he was no leader, and he could not tell what the best call to make was. Part of him hoped that someone else would take command, but Catherine and Hanaa seemed now to be expecting his response and Prishe had already left to prepare.

Samuel was a good shot and had saved him from a hungry Orc, so he owed him. But the safety of the Highwind was also important. Leaving Pops alone, even if the Kindred were gone, was not wise. Gigas tribes and Goblins still made their home in the glacier and the cannon firing would no doubt attract attention from them. Then there was the fact that if Samuel were to be injured it would be far harder for Pops to pilot the ship alone (and not to mention what the Ranger's father would do to him). They were still waiting for a response and every second they hung in the air could mean the end.

"…Samuel, I…" he stuttered. "Thank you for the offer, but I can't leave Pops alone here no matter how defended the ship is now. You're a crew member first and a Ranger second, I'm sorry. If something happened to you…well, you know."

His face dropped, "What…? But, Alain…?"

The look of sadness on the boy's face pained Alain. It made him feel like a disapproving father telling off a son. Was that what Gerdinus felt like every time one of them had argued about orders or squabbled with each other? He sighed; he did not know what else to say.

"If I might interject, I believe I have a solution that would please both sides."

At the edge of the room, right next to the door out into the middle deck, the Gentleman Thief fazed into view as his technique wore off. Samuel seemed to be the only one of them pleased to see the old Elvaan and rushed over to shake his hand. Alain caught a glance from his other two friends that seemed to imply that they were already blaming him for the appearance, even though they did not know that they had met in the prison. He did not know how the Elvaan had managed to escape from that cell in Jeuno, but he silently accepted that he may have unwittingly played a part. He clenched his fists together as the Gentleman Thief smiled and tipped his cap at him as he saw him stare.

"What are you doing herrre again, old man?" Hanaa snarled.

"I felt the need to travel again and what better way than amongst the company of friends? After your little excursion to Delkfutt's Tower I stayed with young Samuel and Pops here for some time. I learned the basics of controlling this aerial monstrosity and I can certainly fend off any interlopers. Take our Ranger here and find your way to your goal far faster."

"What's in it for you?" Alain retorted angrily.

The Gentleman Thief cocked his head, "Dear boy, I just explained that."

Prishe walked back in, "What's taking you all so long?" She glanced over to the Elvaan, "Hi, who are you? Never mind, we need to get going. Drop the damn ladder and come on!"

It fitted too nicely; the Gentleman Thief was after something. He might try to steal the airship after they all left, though he could not exactly sell it and he would have already had the chance back then. Still, there had to be something in it for the Elvaan beyond getting to travel again. It was then that Alain had an epiphany. The Thief was on the run after escaping from Jeuno prison. What better way to avoid being recaptured than reside on an airship that officially doesn't exist for a while? As far as their mission was concerned, his desire to hide from soldiers would not interfere, but that still did not sit well with Alain.

"I don't like this…and what about Pops? Won't he…" Catherine began.

"Ah, Milady, do not concern yourself with such things. Pops and I got on well in the past, leave and I will explain to him why his son had to assist you on this mission - should he come to the pilot area. If luck is on our side he will not and will never even know about this little adventure. Go on now."

She still was not happy. The Thief, upon seeing this, revealed a dagger from a sheath on his belt and held it by the blade, presenting the hilt to her. She took it from him with a confused look and asked why he was giving her the weapon.

"It is a symbol of trust, Milady. I treasure that blade above most other things. Once I have repaid the kindness of this crew and decide to move on I will want it back, so please do not lose it."

Catherine took the dagger and placed it on her own belt, accepting the deal though still with a look of suspicion that Alain knew was justified. Decisions were being made for him, but he did not want to try and force his way into anything. They had to find Rost and the boy; that was all that mattered now. If the Gentleman Thief tried to betray them or trick them again then they would go after him next. They followed Prishe out into the middle deck and prepared to climb down the thick rope ladder into the crater.

The magic energy in the air was so thick after the blast that, despite a frosty wind, it still tickled the nose and made those trained in schools of magic light headed. If it was potent enough it might even enhance the power behind offensive spells too. Alain was hit by the feeling as soon as he stepped off the last rung of the ladder. Even Prishe noticed, though did not comment vocally. They gathered around what had probably been a set of stairs and a small square room at the base. The explosion had taken them out completely, so now all that remained was a slope formed by rubble, leading into a dark passage.

"I did this to a door once," Prishe smirked as they descended. "It wasn't long after the accident, didn't know my own strength. Boy was the old man mad…"

The darkness they were walking into was short lived. There were ancient lights or beacons emitting pale blue sparks. There had probably been some around the entrance they had used but they had been destroyed by the cannon fire. The next turn opened into a multi-levelled chamber filled with purple blood stains. There were badly cut up remains of some kind of yellow skinned creatures that had worn red robes and carried torches. Alain moved closer to one corpse that had been cut in two to try and work out just what it was.

"Brrroken knives all over the place…are these Tonberrries?" Hanaa questioned.

"A different breed, but yes," Catherine confirmed. "These are far older…I've seen pictures in books about the first war. They were used as assassins; most notably they killed a handful of Bastoken officials and military figures. No one ever discovered how they were trained to kill so ruthlessly for a normally docile race."

Whoever had killed the creatures seemed to have done it with ease and malice. None of the bodies had more cuts or wounds than one directly meant to instantly kill. Still, if this breed of Tonberry had been trained in assassinations, it would have been the best way to deal with them. Only a sharp and long instrument could have been used, meaning it had to have been Rost that had killed them.

"Looks like we didn't need a Ranger after all," Prishe stated. "Let's just follow the bodies."

"Wait," Samuel insisted. "I…I think this is a trick."

Asking him to explain, Samuel pointed to two possible routes they could take on the same floor. Both had body parts littering the openings as well as a lot of blood. Then he pointed at a staircase leading to an upper floor which had only blood up the wall. He explained that to have fought in such a way that the position of the corpses made sense the killer would have had to jump from point to point in the room while the enemies all stood still and waited.

"Rost probably did this, he's skilled enough to have done it," Alain admitted.

"During my training I learned about blood trails, for hunting animals I mean, but also about covering my own tracks if I were ever injured. Somehow Rost has set this up to imply he went through one of these passages. The only blood stains that make sense are the ones on the stairs there – the way the blood splatter goes up means, despite his height, Rost had to slash upwards which means he was travelling up the stairs. I'm sure he went up there someplace."

Alain walked over to the stairs again and looked up them. They had not travelled far underground yet, it did not seem right that they had to go up. Samuel, spotting that he was not sure, told them to hold on and ran up the stairs. A few seconds later his head appeared over the balcony above. With a satisfied smile, he motioned for them to come and look.

At the top of the stairs and around a tight bend was a walkway shielded from view by a balcony. It would have been impossible to spot anything on it from down below. There were no bodies, but a large number of dried blood stains. There had been fighting going on up above, that much seemed certain. At least, it would have had he not considered that maybe Rost was smart enough to try a double bluff. The only way he could be sure to cover both possibilities now was to split them up, but that was not an option given the dangers. Hanaa leant on Samuel's shoulder and congratulated him with a grin.

"Too dangerous to split up to prove who is right," Prishe suddenly declared, as if knowing what he was thinking. "Let's go with the kid's idea and see where this upper path takes us."

Samuel seemed both annoyed and confused that someone who looked so young could call him a kid with a straight face, but there was no time to explain it to him. They followed the upper walkway on through a maze of passages and eventually came to a round platform. They walked into it and looked around. It seemed like a dead end and they had not found anymore blood stains or bodies.

Suddenly the platform shook in time with a distant hum and the outer parameter lit up in a matching blue colour to the lights. The circular platform started to descend, as if floating down on some magical energy that could hold all of their weight. As it went down, floor after floor, Alain could not shake the feeling that something dark was lurking below. He reached for his Scythe and ordered the others to arm themselves. There were creatures visible for just a few seconds as each floor shot by, large monsters on many legs with tough carapace skin as well as the ancient Tonberries.

The platform came to a stop on the very bottom of the shaft in a darkened room. Around the sides the blue lamps that had been every where else lit up, revealing a dozen of the six legged creatures. With surprising speed the creatures shuffled forwards with two of its legs raised high like claws.

Alain shifted his legs to accommodate a wide slice upwards. The curved blade of his Scythe stuck into the underbelly of the beast, piercing whatever natural armour it had. He tugged it all the way, upturning the creature and splashing purple innards into the air. He then sliced sideways to catch another as it shot towards him. Though the armour on the top of the creatures was far thicker, he had swung down with enough strength to pierce straight through. The Scythe's blade stuck out the bottom leaking blood onto the floor and making it very difficult for him to pull it back out. To his side another was thrown back across the room and crushed against the far wall by a huge chunk of smoking ice.

Just as he was finally able to pull his weapon out of the second dead creature, the room was illuminated in brilliant white light as Catherine despatched another with Holy. Startled by the light, he held his weapon in the air and was shocked as he saw white webbing attach to it in numerous places. The Scythe was pulled away towards the creature that had grabbed it. Were these some kind of armoured spider? He ran towards the one that had stolen his weapon as another flew over his head, mostly likely the recipient of Prishe's fist.

When the creature saw that he was trying to retrieve the weapon it had happily stolen with its web, it began to spin on the spot wildly. Eventually it stopped, launching the stolen weapon back towards him like a spinning top. Everything seemed to slow in that instant; he saw the Scythe moving and knew if he did not move it would catch his head. He ducked sideways while still moving and skidded onto his knees. The Scythe hit the far wall and fell to the floor. Alain got to his feet just as two arrows struck into the last creature within just a few seconds of one another.

"I can't believe that missed you!" Samuel exclaimed. "I was sure it'd catch your head."

"Third Eye…" Alain muttered.

"Huh?"

"I saw what was going to happen…like I could use that technique."

Prishe called over that there was a door that looked like it had been recently opened and that was probably where they had to go, cutting the conversation short. They all followed and the feeling of darkness grew even stronger. The creatures waiting for them at the bottom of the lift had not been what was causing it.

The next chamber was huge, the largest they had ever seen. It was lit by an equally large crystal at the far end down a small slope. They had found the crystal and it still had its light, they were not too late. As they approached they spotted two figures waiting in front of the mammoth crystal. Alain gritted his teeth when he saw who it was, Rost and the boy had beaten them to it but seemed to have been waiting on them. His rival waited with Great Katana drawn, in the black and gold armour that he had used in their last battle.

…_Hate…_

The rage was burning inside him; Alain let it flow out and delved into the deepest parts of his soul for the same power he had used in Tu'lia. The black aura around him became the black and purple ancient armour of the Hydra Corps. Calling on Blood Weapon, the dried stains of the enemies he had felled left behind on his Scythe grew and consumed the weapon, revealing a brilliant gold Scythe in place of Darksteel as it seemed to burn. Catherine, Samuel, and Hanaa looked on in horror at this display of power, but he could not hold in his hatred any longer.

"I'll handle Rost, go after the boy," he ordered firmly.

Catherine looked shocked, "…Alain…"

He moved instantly, half way towards the crystal. Rost appeared at the exact same spot and their weapons clashed, sending a shockwave in every direction of pure power, ripping the ground apart. He glared at the face of his enemy; he no longer cared about the boy or the crystal. All that mattered was finally killing Rost.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: HURTFUL TRUTHS

The Gentleman Thief looked over from the console he had been studying and tipped his cap as Pop entered the pilot area of the Highwind. The aging engineer squinted at him and then looked around before disappearing back out the door. The sound of him opening various bedroom doors was audible and then eventually he returned with a furious look on his face.

"…What have you done?"

"A bird that cannot spread its wings due to its parent's loving embrace will never learn to fly," he replied poetically.

Pop tugged him away from the console and held him by the scruff of his old cream shirt and looked as though he was about to strike him. He relented at the last minute and let out an aggravated huff instead. Pops walked over to the flight wheel and then checked some consoles and perhaps silently being impressed that he had been able to keep the Highwind stable given the increasingly fierce weather conditions.

Without turning from the console he was looking at Pops said, "If anything happens to my boy…"

"You cannot protect him from the world, Thomas. I know it is hard to let go, especially after your dear wife was taken so tragically during the war, but you were once as eager for adventure as young Samuel is now."

"…Adventure? I was just a petty criminal before the war, and then I did something with my life. I paid a high cost to see where I should have been putting my priorities and I don't want to lose my son as well to _adventuring_."

He sighed hopelessly, "I see. Forgive my actions, old friend. I will not interfere."

Content with that, the old engineer finished checking on the ship's status and headed for the door (seemingly happy enough to leave him to pilot).

"…One more thing. If you don't want me to tell those annoying young'ins your real name, you'll call me Pops!"

With a small smile on his face, the Gentleman Thief gazed out of the double-thick protected window that spread around the base of the pilot area. Something on the distance caught his eye, a large red object heading towards the entrance to Pso'xja that they were circling above. He moved closer to the window to get a better look. It seemed to be a Jeuno Scout Ship moving at top speed, most likely carrying back the Samurai and his Tarutaru companions. Although eager to see how the story had developed, he instead walked over the ship's wheel and rested his hands atop it.

-

_Something's wrong…why is he…?_

Alain pushed back against the towering Elvaan, using the natural curve on the golden Scythe to twist free from the weapon lock. He lowered his centre of gravity, twisted and ducked, and swiped with a wide arc to try and catch Rost's legs. The Great Katana of his enemy stabbed into the ground, stopping the Scythe from advancing. While one hand still gripped the weapon, Alain raised his other in time with Rost copying him. By chance, or some outside interference, they both chose to use Fire. At point blank range the two flaming balls collided, casting smoke up in all directions. Alain pulled his Scythe back to his hands and charged forwards.

_He's defending too much…why?_

He swung and missed again; the tip of Apocalypse struck into the ground and sent cracks in all directions as the ground shook. He pulled it back up and then swung horizontally, meeting with the Great Katana again. With the curved blade of his Scythe almost wrapped round Rost he saw his chance to strike a blow. Rather than apply more force against his opponents weapon, he stepped back and tugged as he went, removing all resistance and dragging the curved end of the Scythe towards Rost's back. Using Third Eye the Samurai saw this coming and ducked out of the way. There was room for a counter attack, Alain's own use of the ability saw that opening, but there was none.

_This isn't right, what's he waiting for?! He's avoiding me, he isn't attacking!_

-

Hanaa pointed her hand towards the boy, who still stood silently by the crystal watching Rost and Alain fight. Calling on her strongest Thunder spell, a bright purple bolt thicker than her hand darted forwards towards their target. As it neared the boy it was tugged upwards as if the gravity changed and was drawn into the Mother Crystal. It did not look like the boy was doing anything, which meant the crystal was naturally drawing magic to it. She reached for her rapier and gritted her teeth with anxiety. It looked like if she was going to have to take out the boy it would be in close combat. Catherine was stood like a pillar with one hand over her mouth and the other supporting it, unable to shift her gaze from Alain despite Samuel's best efforts to snap her out of it.

"Give it up!" Prishe shouted from nearby. "Rush the kid with me!"

From somewhere above, perhaps a concealed upper floor running around the outer sides of the room, two shadows dropped simultaneously in front of Prishe and kicked forwards together, sending her flying through the doorway they had entered from. They gave chase, catching Samuel as they went and tossing him across the floor. Hanaa ran forwards only a few steps when she saw another shadow descending on her. She raised her Rapier in time for it to bear the brunt of an extremely powerful attack from a thick curved scimitar. Her legs gave way under the force, causing her to roll to avoid a follow up attack. She stood fully back up and was shocked to see that it was a black cloaked Mammet puppet that had assaulted her.

Hanaa called to the others, "Little help herrre?!"

The scimitar swung at her again, battering her towards the nearest wall with far more force than she had ever seen one of the puppets use. Pushing off the wall with her free hand, she stabbed forward but her blade passed through the puppet freely as it activated its ability to become physically immune. Knowing this trick well enough, she began casting magic, but despite her Fast Cast techniques could not finish before being attacked. She was thrown to the floor, catching a fist to the jaw after a successful parry of the scimitar. An arrow shot through the face of the Mammet, but did not hinder it.

"You've done it now…" she hissed as she rubbed blood from her lower lip. "Think yourrr tough, do you? It's a nice trrrick, being able to switch between immunities like that…but I've killed tougher things than you."

Drawing her hand across the length of her Rapier, Hanaa evoked an enhancing spell that caused the blade to light up in flames. She was willing to put her last Gil on the chance that a Mammet could not defend against both magic and physical injuries at the same time. The Mammet advanced on her, but a flurried swing of the blade convinced it to keep its distance, long enough for her to cast Haste. She appeared behind the puppet, grabbed it by the shoulder, and rammed her needle thick blade through its back.

To her surprise, the Mammet had enough life left in it to twist to face her, still with the flaming Rapier sticking in it, thus leaving her without a weapon. Its chest was melting and yellow ooze was dropping down its front, it looked as though it did not have the strength left in its left arm to lift the Scimitar and dropped it to the floor. It raised its empty right hand and at first Hanaa was not sure why it was doing this. From the darkness of the robe concealing its right arm the tip of a spear shot forwards. Thanks to Haste she moved in time to avoid it piercing her chest, but it caught the side of her arm instantly ripping through the red fabric and drawing blood. Three dull thuds echoed out in time with rapidly fired arrows ramming into the Mammets back, finally bringing it down. She dropped to her knees and gripped her wound.

A brilliant blast of white energy erupted from the hallway leading to the room, promptly followed by the remains of two Mammets skidding in on a yellow puddle of liquid that settled around Samuel's feet, much to his horror. Prishe appeared, looked over at her, and dusted her hands off.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Fine," Hanaa retorted as she stood up and applied some healing to the wound.

From all around there was the sound of people running swiftly. From the rafters, dark corners of the room and upper floor ledges more Mammets appeared. There were at least fifteen and all began to encircle not just them, but the boy, Alain, and Rost as well. Everyone's attention was drawn and then there was a sinister laugh that echoed around the room.

-

Alain saw out of the corner of his eye that another battle had broken out and then he had followed the emergence of more Mammets afterwards. Why were they here? They were not back up from Jeuno – they had attacked Hanaa and Prishe. He looked back at Rost; the Elvaan seemed even more concerned by this appearance than he was.

"Someone is interfering, there isn't any time! Do it now!" Rost shouted at the boy.

Two arms wrapped around his chest and there was a sigh, he recognised Catherine instantly. She held his chest and rested her cheek against his black and purple armour, whispering that he had to stop what he was doing. He did not understand; did she mean he should not fight Rost? No, it was something else. She was not scared of Rost or the boy or what was going on around them; she was scared of him. His hate subsided and was replaced by sadness at how he had made her feel. From his hand the golden Scythe Apocalypse burnt away back to Darksteel and his thick armour was restored. He sighed.

The boy pointed a thin hand towards him. The necklace he still wore pulled away from his neck, as if desperate to go back to the boy. A beam of blue light traced from the boy to the pendant and immediately Alain was consumed by a terrible pain. He dropped to his knees, unable to fight against such a horrible power. It felt like he was being crushed, he could not breathe. His thoughts were racing around inside his head, like they were being plucked away and read by an interloper. He cried out as the agony continued and he was sure he would pass out from the pain.

"What are you doing to him?!" Catherine screamed. "Stop!"

Out of one eye he saw her run towards the boy, but Rost stopped her, knocked her to the floor. Pictures flashed through his mind, not his memories this time but someone else's. He saw endless white fields once more and huge white buildings. It was a city, some ancient city that felt like home. Were these the boy's thoughts? He could not concentrate on them closely enough with the pain sending shocks through his whole body, even his vision had started to blur.

"Hey, smug Elvaan, wanna try that with me?"

Prishe was by his side now. Rost struck forwards, she easily countered his attack and knocked him across the room. Rost smashed into a pillar at the far side, bringing it down on top of him in a cloud of dust. Prishe stood in front of him, holding up her own amulet, and broke the connection to the boy. Alain gasped loudly and then could not help but cough violently. It felt like he had been brought back to life. Catherine was at his side again and so were Hanaa and Samuel. They tugged the necklace from his neck and tossed it aside. The Mammets had moved in closer to them now and the boy stood in silence, looking up.

Nag'molada descended from above, almost as if he was levitating. Floating before one of his hands was a white box with a raised grey cross shape covering all its sides with a black trim. The boy faded and appeared closer to the exit, as if fearing something. The Chief Envoy of Jeuno landed in front of the crystal but faced out towards them all, as if presenting himself as the last line of defence.

"That's the Star of Tavnazia…" Prishe said. "How did you get it?"

Nag'molada smirked and shook his head, "_Star of Tavnazia_? What will you sad little bunch of nomads think of next? The Priests underestimated the meaning behind this artefact. They could never have fathomed its true purpose. I spent my time on your little island wisely; my eyes were opened to so much. I returned there in order to acquire this, despite how much trouble it proved to be…"

Prishe clenched her fists, "If you hurt anyone…"

"Silence girl, your part in this play is over. I am not the villain here, if anything you have been on the enemy's side since we found your island. The boy has been using you both, through those necklaces. Those and many others were made long ago by the Zilart King as a testament of affinity and have the handy little trick of being able to peer into the hearts of the Kuluu – a far greater power than the Whisper of the Soul born with ever Zilart that allows telepathy. Through distrust, or maybe just pure and simple hatred, these necklaces were forced on the Kuluu so that they would be an open book to any Zilart, such distain for the fallen of their race…"

Alain did not understand, "What are you talking about?"

"You… Your part was hard to read, but once I recognised the whisper I used you to bring us to this point. I am a Kuluu…part of a race born from the sickness spread by Emptiness. Zilart who lost their gift, their whisper eaten away by Emptiness, became Kuluu. A fallen race cast out from the home of the Zilart, forced to exist here. Pso'xja was once the Kuluu City. But I digress…both of you with knowledge hidden away and knowledge learned, have been providing our enemy with everything he needed to know. Isn't that right, Selh'teus?"

The boy's face did not change from an emotionless expression neither confirming nor denying that was who he actually was. Alain could not concentrate on that, Nag'molada's words were bouncing around inside his head. He could not have heard what he thought he just had. Had the Chief Envoy just said that there was a Whisper of the Soul inside him?

"There's a whisper…inside me?" he stuttered out loud.

Nag'molada's face turned dark, "Don't think for a second that it places me at your boot, boy. For you to exist can only mean an indiscretion on the part of a Zilart and nothing more. You seemed aware of it, but not since your earliest memory? Or perhaps you only started noticing after becoming involved with the Zilart's plan to ascend? You don't believe me, but what do I care? Try asking yourself for the answers; what do you remember about your parents? Where were you born? How can you use Zilart technology?"

He felt sick to the bottom of his stomach. It could not be true; he could not be one of _them_. Yet what answers could he find to those put to him? He had no memories of either of his parents or how he came to be in Bastok. They had always told him he was a war orphan. His earliest memories were meeting Nokum-Akkum, but before that there was nothing. He had been able to teleport them in and around the crags, he had been able to navigate around Tu'Lia and understood how to operate the ancient mechanisms there, yet it never felt strange to him because it was like second nature. Then there were the times he swore he had heard Rost's thoughts, was that some extension of the Whisper of Souls? Nag'molada smirked at his obvious horror at what he had revealed, but then turned his interest back to Selh'teus.

"The boy we've been chasing is not an ally of the Kuluu or the Zilart. Long ago he betrayed all of us and, although I do not know how he could have existed this long, there is no mistaking it. He betrayed the Kuluu, he betrayed the Zilart King, and brought about the fury of the Gods. Though he was born from the Mother Crystals as we all were, he hopes to destroy them. But I must know; how did you survive? How have you gained this power over the Emptiness? When _they_ first tried to open the gates you should have died!"

Three Mammets swooped in on Selh'teus like hungry animals ready to rip into a meal but were cast aside as black waves of energy spreading out from his thin pale form. Around his feet a black circle spread out and the room was filled with a sinister aura. Dropping to his knees, Selh'teus thrust his hand into the black spot causing it to fire across the marble in a thick trench towards Nag'molada. Alain's legs would not respond, but with the help of his friends, he was pulled out the way.

Grinning wildly, Nag'molada held up the box that had been hovering in front of his hand all this time. All four corners split open and pulled back, revealing brilliant shining white square inside that caused Prishe to shudder with fear. As the black power of the Emptiness stretched on, the light coming from the box seemed to cause it to burn and then suddenly shards of black crystal shot up from the floor and were steadily tracing a path back along the trench towards the boy. Selh'teus leapt from the black circle he had created around himself just in time, as pillars of black crystal ruptured inside it.

Nag'molada turned the attention of the eye to the boy as he skidded to a stop. Around the boy's body appeared a diamond shaped purple crystal that seemed to somehow lock him in place, his arms and legs were pinned together. Some kind of current ran through the crystal causing the boy to wince and open his mouth like he was screaming in pain, but no sound was audible. Despite what was revealed, despite what intentions their might have been, Alain did not feel what was happening was just. He wanted to get up and save the boy, but his legs still refused to acknowledge his resolve. To everyone's surprise, Prishe began to gently sing. She was staring at the ground and held her hands around her pendant, whispering verses of a familiar sounding song.

"Memoria de la Stona…how is it possible that you know this verse?" Nag'molada questioned. "Selh'teus… Selh'teus is telling you it through a whisper!" He tilted his head and squinted, "…I cannot hear it."

She continued to sing the somehow soothing song. The light from the box Nag'molada carried subsided and the crystal holding the boy in place shattered. Selh'teus floated into the air and raised his hand towards the Mother Crystal. The brilliant light inside the massive crystal began to fade and let out one last flash as black patches of Emptiness began to appear around the room.

Had time past? Alain was not sure. It felt like he was floating. His vision was confused, everything was blurry and ran together. He heard disjointed voices that faded in and out like they were ghosts. He was in a marble room within the white city, there were people there but he was invisible to them. He saw two young boys, one was Selh'teus but he was not sure about the other. As if some omnipresent observer was answering his questions, the name of Nag'molada came to his lips. A woman dressed in an elegant red gown approached, he knew her to be the Dawn Maiden Yve'noile. The two boys were begging her for access somewhere. He strained his ears to listen more closely to the echoes and heard the location as the Kuluu city.

The scene blured beyond all recognition and then resettled elsewhere, far from the glorious white marble city to somewhere far danker. There is an old man there, bent over and cradling a staff of some kind. Selh'teus was pleading with him about something, begging for them to come with him. Alain began to understand somehow that Selh'teus wanted them to come with him into Dynamis, into the Realm of Dreams, to seek Diabolos' help and to fight back against the Zilart.

The second scene fades and within these blurred images time passes, though how much he could never say. Yve'noile stood before Nag'molada, who now resembled how he knew him. The Dawn Maiden was arguing with Nag'molada, she could not understand how he could work with the Zilart although he was a Kuluu. She accuses him of betraying both peoples. She lowered her head and admitted that she sought a world where both were gone. Nag'molada proclaimed that he had and always would stay loyal to her and that he would never betray her trust. Yve'noile raised her head and uttered words far clearer than all the others;

"…And what if I betray yours?"

"He better notaru be dead or I'll kill him!" a familiar high pitched voice bellowed.

Alain opened his eyes to see Nokum-Akkum glaring at him with an axe drawn, shaking it threateningly. He felt the soothing touch of White Magic on his side and turned expecting to see Catherine, but was somewhat shocked to see Renene in blue Summoner garb. Someone stood behind him; he realized that it was Tenzen. His initial relief that the three had found him soon subsided as he looked around and knew that something was very wrong.

The ground felt like sand and looked a pale yellow. All around them was darkness littered with tiny islands of a similar colour. The air was still and there was only silence. He saw what seemed to be ancient buildings, now ruins, littered on some of the larger islands. Moving near the edge, he looked over and felt sick as it became apparent that there was no ground or sky.

"Where…where are we?"

"Inside Emptiness – that is accurate as I can be," Tenzen replied.

"How is that possible? I mean…why aren't we dead?"

"I do not know, perhaps the crystal has something to do with it, we may even be inside it…if that is possible. Your friends and I were rushing through Pso'xja when a white light filled the passage way, there was a strange vision that we seemed to share, and when our senses returned we were here before you."

He took three more looks around and then hit himself on the arm just to make sure this was not another part of the strange illusion he had had before waking up. Nokum-Akkum, presumably seeing this as some sort of opportunity, kicked him in the shin and exclaimed that he was just trying to help after Alain glared down at him. After rubbing his ankle, and having more White Magic forced on him by Renene, he asked if they had found Carbuncle and what they had learned.

"Mr Carbuncle was tired because of the nasty-wasty boy stealing the lightaru!" Renene shouted far louder than needed. "He told us aboutaru a Keeper-weeper."

"…Keeper?"

Tenzen took over, "The Avatar of Rainbows believes that Bahamut awaits some kind of signal from the Keeper of the Apocalypse. If he receives this signal he will leave Riverne with his army of Wyrms and will begin his cleansing. I suspected the Keeper's identity to be the boy, but it does not make sense. The boy did not even attempt to seek out Bahamut and it seems that his collection of light from the Mother Crystals does not directly connect to the Wyrm King's objectives. It must be someone else."

_The Keeper of the Apocalypse? Could that be the purpose that Rost was talking about inside the Shrouded Maw? Maybe that is the goal of the Emissary of the Dusk, but it doesn't explain why he's helping the boy either. Nag'molada spoke to Bahamut about the pact, but he would have nothing to gain from getting the Wyrm King to attack, so who does that leave?_

His thoughts paused as he remembered Nag'molada's accusation that he had a Whisper of the Soul, the accusation that he was a Zilart. The very thought still made him shudder. He had held onto the hope that he and Rost had been chosen as Emissaries purely because they were in the wrong place and the wrong time, but now he was not so sure. Was his life orchestrated to become the Emissary of the Dawn from day one? Was it some plan by whoever his parents had been to further the Zilart's goal of reaching Paradise? Rost was not a Zilart, of that there was no doubt, so had he damned his rival by fighting in Xarcabard on that day?

"Why the long face, Alain?" his friend asked innocently. "I didn't hitaru you hard!"

"No, it's…nothing. I don't know who the Keeper is either, but right now we need to find the others and get out of here."

Tenzen scanned the immediate areas around them, "A sound enough plan, though how exactly we can move around this twisted place escapes me. There is more to this island, a path close enough to leap down to, but who knows what awaits us. The Emptiness is thick enough here to deafen me to Phoenix's voice, so we are on our own."

A summoning circle appeared followed the impressive apparition of Fenrir, glowing dark purple and brimming with latent power. Renene clapped her hands and stroked the Avatar's side, declaring that they were safe as long as they had his protection. The Avatar seemed to react positively to her words, even though that had to be impossible since it was just a lesser version of the true Avatar.

The four of them walked towards the edge of the crusty island and peered down at their next destination. Their voyage into the Emptiness had begun.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: PROMYVION VHAZL

"What the hell is that?"

The Gentleman Thief did his best to explain how a strange black mist had began to flood out of the entrance the others had gone into but Pops seemed far more concerned about the effect it was having on the engines. Both crystals in the engine room and the teleportation one in the middle deck were spiking at double their maximum power capacity and then randomly dropping to almost zero. If it kept up they could very well fall out of the sky. He would have preferred to have been able to stay and watch what was happening but with a sigh he twisted the wheel and raised the elevation of the Highwind.

"What are you doing?"

"To stabilize the engine I would hazard a guess that pulling away from the ruins below will help somewhat. We will not go far. I see the airship from Jeuno has also pulled up higher, it must be experiencing the same problems."

Pops headed over to the front viewing window and narrowed his old eyes to make out the red airship from Jeuno's fleet. After a few moments looking, he turned and said that it looked more like the airship was dropping off more passengers higher up the glacier than just getting to safety. The Gentleman Thief did not know why they would be doing that, but he was happy things were becoming more interesting.

-

What the Emptiness was doing to the world around him Alain could not be sure, but to him it looked like it was eating away at it. The faded buildings and platforms around them as they travelled along any possible path they found were ever so slightly blowing away into nothing. It was like the dark void around them was using what was left of Pso'xja to sustain itself, taking it bit by bit until it would only remain as a memory.

Tenzen had once mentioned what happened to those who were able to survive an attack from a monster born from the Emptiness. They would often be cripples with severe amnesia as their memories had been eaten in the same way the land was. They had fought of small groups of smaller Emptiness creatures without much trouble, but Alain feared what might happen if they were to swarm against them or if they found tougher enemies further ahead.

For lack of a better target, they were roughly aiming towards a huge drifting building in the distance; it was circled like a coliseum and had lines of open windows in rows. It did not look anything like a part of Pso'xja yet still it was there, perhaps it was an older memory of what it looked like centuries before. Nag'molada had claimed that Pso'xja was once home to the Kuluu, their only city.

As he walked he sighed and slumped forwards thinking about the Zilart and Kuluu once more. He did not want to dwell, he had to keep his wits about him, but they were eating away at him as if made stronger by the presence of the Emptiness. To ease the insistence his subconscious had of bringing up those thoughts he assured himself that to get more answers he had to find Nag'molada and the others. They had to be stranded just like they were, but so far they had not found any of them.

"You were saying before that the boy, Selh'teus, taught that song to Prishe?" Tenzen asked, recounting details of the story Alain had told them after moving out.

"Selh'teus didn't speak, it was telepathic I guess. It was the same song that Ulmia knew, the same song that verse Phoenix translated was part of, and the one Nag'molada sung to Bahamut. It's not just words, there's powerful magic hidden behind the melody. Either way, Prishe sung a verse and it freed Selh'teus from whatever artefact Nag'molada is using."

Tenzen stopped moving, "So Prishe aided him?"

Alain paused also but did not reply straight away. He knew what Tenzen was getting at. If Carbuncle was correct then the Keeper of the Apocalypse would be the key to everything to come and that whoever it was would be on the side of Selh'teus. Despite Prishe's actions in freeing the boy he did not believe her to be the Keeper. She was still wearing a Zilart necklace at the time so it was probable that Selh'teus controlled her somehow. There was no telling how much power was inside those pendants now that they knew the origin.

He eventually answered, "She isn't the Keeper."

"Perhaps not. Do you suspect that she was controlled into acting as she did somehow? Carbuncle was not clear on whether this Keeper of the Apocalypse acts with their own ideals in mind, or is controlled by a more dominant force. I do not believe there is some grand reward promised for whoever this person is, it is as a horrible fate as the one we face if we do not do something about it. Against her will she may well be the true enemy…"

Maybe deliberately, Alain had never considered that the Keeper did not have free will. He was using that as an excuse to prove Prishe could not be it and yet had only cast more suspicion on her. But he had worn an amulet as well and Selh'teus had tried to do something to him. Then there was Rost and whatever purpose he had picked out for himself.

"Flying things!" Renene cooed.

Five skeleton-like creatures of Emptiness descended from the darkness above, each with a different coloured glowing orb where its head should have been. The swooped around them as if toying with them before an attack, though one straying particularly close was snatched out the air by the lesser avatar of Fenrir and broken into bits, dispersing all light from the orb seemingly keeping it alive.

Despite Phoenix's strength being subdued by the Emptiness, Tenzen still swung the Great Katana with enough force to cut clean through two more of them. Alain took out one in mid air with a vertical slash before twisting and dropping the tip of his scythe on the last as it floating over the ground.

"It is clear, we should move on," Tenzen stated as the bodies of the creatures vanished.

Further ahead they were met with a dead end; until they looked over the sides and found another area close enough to safely drop down to. Tenzen squinted his eyes and stated that he believed he saw a larger beast up ahead. Without another route open to them they still had no choice but to drop down, but now they moved more cautiously as they carried on.

Sure enough there was a mammoth sized creature ahead, standing before two pillars covered in some kind of webbing. They sat for a moment or two and it soon became obvious that the creature was not moving without purpose; it was standing guard at the pillars. The area within was blocked from view by tall unscaleable walls that seemed unaffected by the effects of the Emptiness.

"The orb that seems to sustain these things is more hidden on this monster," Tenzen reported as he looked out from behind a crumbling stone. "It's there…I see a small purple light around its stomach. That huge thick shell is protecting it, so it will be difficult to defeat."

Renene shook her head, "This will be easy-peasy for Mr Doggie! Go get it!"

Fenrir charged from cover drawing in dark energy around it and slammed straight into the creature's front. The Emptiness monster skidded backwards until Fenrir came to a stop, but did not fall over. Tendrils rose from both sides of the creature that struck out at the Avatar, one managing to rip into a hind leg causing sparkles of magic to spray out like blood. Fenrir leapt back and limped round to try and get a better view of the orb but the flailing tendrils made it impossible for a direct attack.

Nokum-Akkum charged out from where he had been laying with both axes drawn. As he passed the Avatar it howled and energy from around it transferred over, empowering the tiny Tarutaru Warrior's attack. Alain rushed out after his friend, fearing something would happen, but as he ran discovered that the power inside him that he drew on for Soul Eater was not there, nor was the legendary armour and weapon. It was as if the Emptiness was affecting him just as much as it was Phoenix.

The creatures tendrils all struck forwards towards the Tarutaru, but struck only ground as he swiftly shifted to one side and leapt forwards, twisting his whole upper body backwards as he went. Pulling around with empowered strength, Nokum-Akkum struck the sides of both axes into the top of the creature, almost taking it clean off and sending it down on one side. Though the creature was still alive and was already flailing even more than before to try to strike back, Nokum-Akkum calmly walked up to the glowing orb underneath and tapped it with one axe. A crack ran from the point of impact and the orb shattered, destroying the creature.

Renene skipped over to Fenrir and stroked the beast. Alain, and probably the others too, knew it was just a lesser version of the true Fenrir with no feeling or any emotion so it could not be in pain, but it seemed too harsh to try to explain such things to the inncoent Summoner. To erase the damage done, she called up a summoning circle around Fenrir, which caused him to fade away into dark purple specs of light.

"Good job I'm here to protectaru you all," Nokum-Akkum boasted.

"Mr Doggie made you hitaru that hard, silly-willy," Renene replied.

Nokum-Akkum narrowed his eyes, "It did not."

Something caught Alain's eye as he now walked over to the two Tarutaru in and effort to avoid the brewing argument. It was from the wall of webbing between the two pillars that the creature had been guarding. There was detail inside the webbing, there was colour as well. He turned his head and drew back in shock when he saw Samuel hanging within, trapped by the strange threads. Rushing over with scythe ready to slash, Alain paused as Tenzen cried out to halt.

"We do not know what damage will be done if we cut this in one go!" he protested. "The strands that run around here are connected to his face and are reacting to him; perhaps the Emptiness is trying to probe his mind for information. The shock of severing such a link so swiftly could instantly kill him."

"I'm not leaving him hanging there!" Alain angrily shouted back.

"Alain, calm yourself. Of course I am not saying we should leave him there."

Tenzen raised the blade of his weapon and cut through a single strand in the web, then paused and glared at Samuel's hanging body for any signs that his action had caused pain. With no obvious effect from the first, he cut two more. This time Samuel's face showed discomfort for but a second. More strands were cut and the pain did seem to increase, but then disappeared as the link was severed slowly. Eventually enough were cut that Samuel's body slipped down onto the ground and they were able to reach in and pull him out.

"Is he alrightaru?" Nokum-Akkum asked while biting his lower lip.

Renene began applying her limited knowledge of White Magic while Tenzen knelt and examined the young Ranger.

"…Bruising on the face where those things were attached…and on his arms and legs as well. This is consistent with what I have seen before on people who had escaped the Emptiness. Do not worry however, he has not been in this state long enough to have been permanently affected and no creature would have feasted on his memories while the Emptiness itself was dining."

_Is that supposed to be comforting?!_ Alain asked himself. _All Samurai are the same…_

It was likely that the others who had gone missing were similarly trapped, putting new urgency into their exploration of the Emptiness. While they tended to Samuel and tried to wake him up, along scouted a little distance ahead and found a collection of broken pillars splitting the path and disappearing into the darkness below. It made it hard to judge what lay ahead, but he was sure he could make out not one but two more sets of pillars that stuck out as being in good condition. More of their friends could be as close as that. He returned to his friends to find Samuel sitting up and rubbing his head looking very confused and bewildered.

"We found you in a weird thingy-wing!" Nokum-Akkum said.

Samuel was groggy, "Yeah…I… It feels like a Chocobo chick has been pecking my head for an hour straight. The last thing I remember was standing beside that huge crystal, and then I had some kind of dream. After that…it's blank. Where are we?"

From where the webbing had suspended him, Tenzen returned with a bow and quiver half full of arrows in hand. With time against them they could not give him the full story, so they explained only what they had too and then got Samuel on his feet. He was shaky at first but soon found his balance and took his bow in hand. Now they could move onto the next person.

_Thank Altana that Samuel isn't seriously hurt…Pops would have killed us._

They moved on cautiously between broken pillars moving one at a time to avoid drawing attention to them and aimed for the first undamaged set they could see. As they drew closer it became obvious that another large beast was guarding a second set of webbing, however it was already battling with someone obscured by the sheer size of the monster. Still they moved closer and saw the creature stretch up on thin legs before collapsing onto the ground as amber shards shot in all directions. The Emptiness monster began to fade away revealing who had killed it.

Alain darted out from behind the pillar he had made it up to and swung his scythe round into both hands, charging at Rost. Somewhat taken by surprise, Rost back footed and held his katana up defensively. Though his deeper power was gone, he still managed to swing round with enough momentum to knock the Elvaan Samurai to one side, denying him an attempt to parry the attack. Rost dropped to one knee and raised his weapon to defend once more and Alain noticed that blood was trickling down his enemies left shoulder where his armour had been ripped open. It seemed that without access to the powers of an Emissary, Rost was not able to fight off the Emptiness and remain unharmed.

Tenzen side stepped between them with his katana half drawn from its sheath. His hilt pulled Alain's scythe down towards the ground so he could not swing it and locked with Rost's blade. His free hand grappled Alain's shoulder and tugged him to one knee.

"Now is not the time!" Tenzen shouted at them both. "If you fight in the open you will only draw more of these creatures to us, they are drawn to powerful emotions."

"He's the enemy, he's helping Selh'teus!" Alain replied through gritted teeth.

"That's as may be but my point stands. If you fight you will bring death upon us all. What of your friends? Would you leave them to the hell we found your pilot in just to seek vengeance on this Elvaan?"

Rost pulled back and attached his Great Katana to his belt. From over by the webbing Nokum-Akkum and Samuel called over that it looked like Rost had already started trying to free Hanaa, who was hung up inside. Alain refused to believe that Rost would risk his life to save Hanaa; even before he had betrayed them he never liked her. Nokum-Akkum took over while Renene, who was staring at Rost, patted him on the ankle and told him to kneel down so that she could heal his wound.

"Don't help him, Renene," Alain ordered. "I won't fight him, but he's no ally."

Rost scoffed and rubbed some blood from the wound on his shoulder away.

"Someone help me getaru Hanaa down! If she falls on me I'll be squished!" Nokum-Akkum cried frantically as Samuel let the Mithra slip from his grip.

Tenzen looked at them both once more with a look that warned against either of them striking the other. Renene huffed, ran a circle around Rost, and then followed Tenzen over to where Hanaa still hung to get her down and revive her. They looked at one another after the others moved off and Alain still felt filled with hatred, yet no strength came to him.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Alain asked somewhat reluctantly.

Rost smirked, "It seems you did have a purpose after all, whether you knew it or not. You may still have in fact, if Selh'teus was interrupted too soon. Don't worry, Alain. Our fates as Emissaries of Dawn and Dusk will still play out; I just have to wait until your role is played in Selh'teus's mission."

"What do you mean mission? He's trying to destroy the world!"

"…Is he?" his rival smiled.

_He's still insane, he was always full of himself and didn't care about others but now he's got it into his head he's special and that he's above everyone else. He'll help destroy the world if it gives him a reason to carry on…what a sad person he's become._

Hanaa was freed and soon after they found Catherine across the way. Both were as confused as Samuel had been and had no idea that they had been sucked into the Emptiness or that everyone else that was present at the crystal as the boy stole its light was there as well. Now all that remained was for them to find Prishe, Nag'molada and Selh'teus. They searched all through the broken pillars dispatching more creatures as they went but found no more webbed areas and now they were nearing the huge building that they had been aiming for with no other areas to search in sight.

Catherine pulled him back as everyone was walking and wrapped her hands around his arm. She never said anything but looked at him with despair. She was still thinking about what he had been like in front of the crystal. He bowed his head to her, but could not control his hate for Rost. He could not understand how they could all happily walk with him after all that he had done, yet they did. It almost made him angry at his friends. Why could they not see the Elvaan for how horrible he really was?

Rost was walking out in front, he seemed to be aiming for the same building, and was cradling his wounded arm as he walked, leaving spots of blood on the dusty ground as he went. He silently wished that it was a really painful injury. Alain began to walk faster, caught up with Rost, and then over took him at the front. He did not look back, but was satisfied with himself.

Soon they were stood before the door into the coliseum type yellow building with no sign of those still lost. The entrance way was webbed up like the others that had held their friends, but it seemed only as a last resort to keep them out. As Alain had reached it first with Rost just behind and then the others, he had time to start slashing through the door with his scythe.

Inside the air felt strangely fresher. It was like the Emptiness had not fully engulfed the passages and rooms inside. Yet they walked only a few more meters to find that theory was wrong, as the ground opened up into an empty void. On the far side was another door, but no path around was visible and it was too far to jump. Renene suggested that they throw her and Nokum-Akkum over to have a look around, but the little Warrior loudly protested and ever so slightly backed towards the way they had entered from, hiding behind Catherine's leg.

"The path has been eaten away has it?" someone said from the darkness behind.

Nag'molada walked forward with the glowing white cube still hovering at his hand. He pointed it towards the void before them and it opened once more. A warming white light bathed the area and to everyone's amazement the bridge reformed and became whole once more. The cube returned to its dormant state soon after.

"What is that object?" Rost questioned.

"The Eye of Altana," was the emotionless reply.

Brimming with confidence, Nag'molada strode across the reformed bridge and everyone else quickly followed behind for fear that it might disappear as quickly as it had been recreated. The next room was the centre of the building and was a huge dome. Down a series of three small steps a winged creature was hunched forwards examining a small body floating before it. Moving closer they saw that it was the Avatar of Dreams, Diabolos, and the person he was looking at was Prishe.

"My precious maw eaten away by Emptiness and now my fate is sealed…" the Avatar mused. "Selh'teus…so that is who the boy was, if only I had known sooner. And now here you all are again, transient dreamers once more."

Nag'molada had no pity for the Avatar, "What do you know of Selh'teus? Tell me."

"I thought I understood his dreams, but I did not. His goal is hidden from me and now I cannot hope to fully comprehend. But this I know for certain; Selh'teus, the cursed child, is on a mission issued from Al'tieu."

Nag'molada was furious, "Do not toy with me, Avatar! Al'tieu no longer exists."

Diabolos hovered to the ground and as he went Prishe's body was also lowered. She seemed to be asleep or unconscious and remained motionless even after touching the cold floor. Holding his chin, Diabolos stretched forwards closer to Nag'molada's face.

"Al'tieu exists, the fifth crystal will open the way to it."

From the corner, Rost spoke, "Does that mean the gates can still be opened?"

Diabolos laughed, "Foolish creatures, forever tainted with false desire. I pity you, mortals, for freewill is something you will never experience. This path you walk is not one you have chosen for yourself or even that Selh'teus has forced you on. The Twilight God guides you all through the taints in your soul. That is why Bahamut has chosen to destroy you."

The taints on every race on Vana'diel, Alain knew of what the Avatar was talking about. But the Twilight God, the Dusk God, the one guiding Rost, was it really manipulating them all through the taints they had at birth? Alain looked to the floor. More than one person, even Zeid, had pointed out that he did not have the apathy present in most Humes but rather every other taint. It was probably to do with being a Zilart, the thought of which once more sent shivers down him.

"If what you say is true, is there nothing we can do to cure this…curse?" Tenzen asked.

Diabolos laughed once more, "Curse? Cure? The Kuluu once asked similar things of me, long ago. Nothing but pain was born from that event, an entire race stripped of their souls. The _curse_ as you call it is necessary for you and the other races to exist. I told you once before that the Emptiness was not without purpose, perhaps now you will understand. Learn from Selh'teus; trying to play both sides will lead to ruin. Accept your fates."

"What the hell…this is the second time I've woken up to you crying like a little girl," Prishe suddenly muttered and got to her feet. "What kind of Avatar are you? So this Selh'teus tried to do something years ago and he messed up, so what? At least he damn well tried! Where's your back bone, Diabolos?"

The Avatar lurked down upon her with a claw outstretched but halted just in front of her face as if there were some invisible wall in the way. Diabolos cursed and pulled back his hand, either because some force was stopping him or he had realized that it was futile to try and kill someone who seemed to be immortal.

Through sharp gritted teeth Diabolos spoke bitterly, "You know nothing, girl. Would you live and die by your own words? Would you truly believe what you just said to be true if _you_ were to blame? If you believe in your cause and that the Emptiness can be stopped then prove it and sacrifice yourself."

Prishe was silent and looked down at her pendant.

"Well damn…so that's what I need to do after all, huh?"

A light consumed the room engulfing everyone in seconds.

-

"Frozen dead bodies!"

_Rustle…rustle…_

"Where did they fall from this time?"

"The sky!"

_Rustle…rustle…_

"They'd have _splatted_ if they fell from that high, you're stupid!"

"You're stupid!"

"You're BOTH stupid!"

_Rustle…rustle…_

"Hey look, it's Prishe's necklace like she said. Let's go!"

"Escape plan-

Nag'molada walked into the entrance way of where a hollow tree protecting an entrance into Pso'xja had once been and glared at the three Tarutaru siblings. He briefly looked over at the pile of bodies that had been sucked out of the Emptiness along with him, but did not care to see if they were alive or dead. He turned to leave and the three Tarutaru followed him.

"Mr Envoy! We were sent to get you!"

He paused, "Sent by Esha'ntarl? Wait…what else did she tell you to do?"

"Oh, ehhh, erm…" Kukki-Chebukki squeaked.

Cherukiki cooed, "We activated the ruins!"

He cursed.

"She told you to…you idiots. Why would she activate Pso'xja before it was consumed by the Emptiness? She must have known there's no way she couldn't have! What game is this that she is playing?! The Avatar of Dreams will be stripped of free will. Have I been overlooking the one pulling Selh'teus's strings all this time? Eash'ntarl will give me the answers I want or face my wrath. We're going to Jeuno, get the airship. Now!"


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE TRUE ENEMY

One day later…

Nag'molada once more made his presence known in the Throne Room of the late Archduke's palace by swinging both doors open and storming in without a care for whoever was inside. By chance or fate their was no public audience on that day, yet still standing before him in front of the old throne itself was Esha'ntarl and her Chief Scientist, Kareh'ayollio. He sneered at their smug expressions, clearly they knew of his return to Jeuno and that he saw what the three Tarutaru siblings had been ordered to do in Pso'xja before the Emptiness spread through it.

"So you have finally graced us with your presence," Esha'ntarl mused. "But the boy is not with you. This is becoming all too familiar. Did you fail your mission yet again, Nag'molada?"

"If anything is at fault it is the lack of information that I am forced to work with," he replied swiftly. "The boy has another accomplice. Not that traitorous Elvaan Samurai, someone with far deeper routes. That girl. That Elvaan girl. That Elvaan girl from Tavnazia. It is her fault! I was so close and she freed him!"

Before anything else was said, Esha'ntarl turned to her Chief Scientist and words were exchanged silently. He cursed under his breath at their flaunting of their Whispers. Did they do it to mock him? Or even worse; did they deem him unworthy or untrustworthy to hear what plans they were scheming?

In a raspy voice Kareh'ayollio spoke, "Such a foolish child. Does he not know that the Zilart's quest for paradise ended with the destruction of our capital? That is, excluding the delusions of our late benefactors of course. They were not content with ruining just one city."

Nag'molada held his tongue, but wanted to call them both fools. Who were they to speak for them all? No one placed Esha'ntarl in command of Jeuno, her place had always been in the society, but she had taken it up without contest. No one rallied behind him; no one wanted a Kuluu in command. He could see it now. His eyes had been opened to so much treachury already, but he knew that to discover more he would have to play to her song for just a little longer.

"Is there more you wish to say?" she asked him, hiding her hatred well.

_Ah, so you think you have it all planned out…yet you do not know what was stated by the Avatar of Dreams. You might have heard, had you not been so stupid in destroying his freewill._

"I propose that an expedition be sent to Al'taieu to determine its fate."

"No."

He raised his head and swore.

"Remember your place," the Chief Scientist said and raised a hand in his direction.

Esha'ntarl motioned for the hand to be lowered and sighed, "It is not your place to question orders, Nag'molada. That is a fact I grow tired of reminding you of. We cannot spare resources and we have far more pressing matters. We have uncovered data collected by our former leader that we believe indicates that the Fifth Crystal is somewhere inside the Moblin city beneath Gustaberg. Seek it out. The boy is no longer of your concern, I will deal with him."

He had to repeat her words over in his twice before he was sure he had not imagined what he just heard. The boy was no longer his problem? He was no longer meant to hunt down Selh'teus and instead just find the Fifth Crystal? This had to be some trick, some part of her grand plan. She was behind it; he was believing that more and more by the second. But who else would believe him? He had to find proof, had to convince the others before it was too late.

"…And how exactly will you _deal_ with the boy?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I will await his arrive and then act accordingly."

_You don't know who you're dealing with, fool!_

"What makes you think he would be stupid enough to present himself at your door?!"

Putting a hand behind her back for just a second, Esha'ntarl revealed a blue and gold pendant that he recognised immediately. It was either the one worn by the traitorous Elvaan girl or the Zilart's pawn. The Tarutaru siblings had to have recovered it from the bodies in Pso'xja just as he arrived and _neglected_ to show it to him. Why Selh'teus would want to hunt down the pedant was not known to him, but the fact that Esha'ntarl believed it so only further cast guilt in her direction.

"If there is nothing else, you have a new mission," she said.

"Yes, be off with you," her Chief Scientist added.

He turned and left without another word.

-

"Esha'ntarl, your Chief Envoy appears to be suffering from increasing amounts paranoia and delusions of grandeur. It was a mistake to give him so much leeway on this mission I believe."

"So it seems. Just what has he learned to fall so far?"

"Unknown. But he is fast becoming a liability."

"Send Mammets to watch him, ones that he won't be able to reprogram."

-

Things had been a little blurry since escaping the Emptiness. But Nokum-Akkum was determined to get the facts straight in his head. The first thing he remembered after waking up was that it was cold and his backside was numb, but not much else. He and everyone else were all lying in a hollow tree stump further down the glacier than the one they had used to enter. Although no one seemed to be hurt by getting thrown out of the Emptiness it did take them all a while to get back to one hundred percent (compared to him).

People were missing from the group. It was not until they had all started waking up that he noticed this but if anyone asked he would pretend to have known straight away. The man from Jeuno was gone, Prishe was gone, Rost was gone, and even Tenzen had gone. There were some sets of footprints outside the tree stump but not enough for how many people were missing. There was also three sets of tiny prints that had belong to Tarutarus and he knew which those had to be.

The red airship that he, Renene, and Tenzen had arrived in from La Thiene was no where to be seen, but neither was the Highwind. It was only after Catherine signalled on a Linkpearl did they hear a familiar voice. Nokum-Akkum did not really understand all the big angry sounding words that Pops was shouting over the pearl, but was pretty sure that it was to do with Samuel being with them. Shortly after that, the Highwind appeared and lowered the rope ladder down so that they could all get on board.

There was more shouting and arguing and for some reason the Gentleman Thief joined in. He thought it was probably to do with the bruises all over Samuel's exposed skin from where the Emptiness had been trying to eat him, but he decided it was best to join everyone else in keeping quiet about that. While the arguing continued he got dragged onto deck by Renene to run around so he was not sure what happened then.

The return to Jeuno was uneventful and once they had landed out in Batallia Downs they travelled to the Hospital just to make sure everything was fine, but also to find out what information they could about what had been happening while they were gone. That was the point they were at now, still waiting for the doctor to finish checking them over. He sat on the steps in front of the door of the hospital, blushing as people looked at him holding hands with Renene sitting next to him with a big grin on her face. He did not like the damage his credibility was taking as a powerful Warrior from Windurst.

"Do you think thataru mean man from Jeuno was telling the truth?" she asked.

"Whataru?"

"He said that Alain had a Whisper of Souls! That means he's a Zilartaru…I think."

"No way! I've known him since we were little! You mustaru have heard him wrong."

"Oh. Okay."

-

"So there's nothing…weird?" Alain asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that," Doctor Monberaux said and rubbed the back of his head. "If you don't tell me more I'm not sure I can give any kind of answer that you're looking for. I can tell you that you're a fighting fit Dark Knight with more battle wounds than I've seen on people twice your age…but that isn't what you want to hear, is it?"

_I want you to tell me I'm just a Hume from Bastok, not some Zilart monster…_

He sighed. He could not tell the doctor anything more because of how much was involved and how deep the ties of the Zilart ran in Jeuno's history. Giving in, the doctor left the patient room and allowed his friends to enter. Doing the best smile he could manage, he greeted Catherine and Hanaa. It looked like Nokum-Akkum and Renene were still waiting outside and Samuel would not be allowed off the Highwind for a long time after what happened in Pso'xja.

They spoke for a while, but they dodged the issue and he knew it. They had all heard what Nag'molada said to him, they all knew that he had been accused of having a Whisper inside him that all Zilart have. But could the Chief Envoy be trusted? It was like he was losing it in front of the crystal, talking to them all like they were his enemies. To know more, or at the very least to have his fears confirmed, he had to ask another Zilart that could hopefully give straight answers. That meant returning to the palace and seeking an audience with Esha'ntarl, though he was not sure that he could trust her much more.

Wanting to know more about where he came from was selfish, but he could not help it. Though the Emptiness still posed a threat and now they had to add finding the Keeper of the Apocalypse to their list of objectives, he would not be able to focus. He explained his feelings to them both and they seemed to understand how he felt.

"Do you want us to come with you? We can put the muscle on that woman," Hanaa said with a flash of her sharp teeth and a flex of her arm.

"I'd rather go alone and, besides, the Highwind needs to get restocked. I'll get my answers and find out where Selh'teus is heading to. Hopefully I'll find out something about the Keeper too."

"Tenzen seemed to strongly believe that Prishe is the Keeper…" Catherine sighed.

"And now she's disappearrred," Hanaa added.

Without proof he was still not willing to label Prishe as the Keeper simply based on her actions in front of the Fourth Crystal. Selh'teus could have been controlling her through the pendant, he still believed that. But she had not been with them when they awoke in front of an entrance into Pso'xja, nor did she travel back on the scout ship from Jeuno ahead of them. There was nothing left of Pso'xja now that the Emptiness had consumed it, but she had to have made it out with the rest of them.

There was a knock at the door and Doctor Monberaux's head soon popped around it and stated that they had a visitor courtesy of the Tenshodo. To all their surprise, Ulmia appeared grasping a small harp against her chest, bowing her head in greeting. Alain half expected to see Brute push in past her, but there did not seem to be any sign of the Monk. The Elvaan Bard entered silently and then the door was closed as the doctor went back to his business, clearly used to working around Aldo's actions. A scurry of feet was heard a few seconds after the door closed and then Nokum-Akkum and Renene burst in. They looked around at everyone staring at them for a few seconds before realizing that they had perhaps been a bit loud and then gently closed the door.

"It is good to see you again, Ulmia," Catherine said. "What are you doing back here?"

"I came from Tavnazia on one of Jeuno's airships…I need to see Prishe…but I already know that she's missing. I met Tenzen near the palace…he was heading somewhere…but she's no where…"

Alain looked across to Catherine and Hanaa to make sure that they had also noticed that Ulmia looked like she was on verge of bursting into tears. Hanaa shifted off the best and did her best to put her hand around the Bard's tall shoulders and asked what was wrong. The harp in her hands dropped to the floor as she began to sob incoherently about an attack in Tavnazia.

Alain leapt up, "Did someone attack Tavnazia? Was it Jeuno? Did their airships…?"

"No, it was him…the man with the device on his eye. The Chief Envoy…"

_Nag'molada attacked Tavnazia?! Of course…that box he used in Pso'xja with that powerful light locked inside it. He said he stole it from the city…but to go as far as to use violence to get it? Was he acting alone or on orders from the society?_

"He'll be locked up for life!" Hanaa shouted and slammed her fists together.

"No…" Ulmia sniffed. "He stole a precious artefact and injured a few people…but my Grandfather decided that nothing would be said of it…or else we risk losing all the support Jeuno has given these last few days. But that won't bring him back…"

"Bring who back?"

"One casualty was fatal…Brute chased him into the aqueducts…he didn't come back. That man from Jeuno said that they had been attacked by a Minotaur…he brought back the beast's horn as proof…but said that he died during the battle…"

Could Nag'molada have gone so far as to kill Brute just to get the box he was after? Alain wanted to tell himself no, but deep down knew what the Chief Envoy of Jeuno was capable of. There was not much of a defence force in Tavnazia, he would have easily been able to defeat them without causing fatal blows, but Brute would have been different. A Monk that strong would have put up more than a fight and would strike to kill. Yet what could they do if Tavnazia were going to deny anything happened and they could not prove that Brute had not died battling a monster?

"This isn't right…" was all he could muster the strength to say.

"I need to find Prishe," Ulmia said as she pulled away. "I need to tell her…"

Nokum-Akkum declared that he would slam his axe into Nag'molada's face the next time he saw him and Hanaa joined in, raising her rapier and vowing on it to avenge the injustice. Once more Ulmia shook her head, saying that her Grandfather had already decided that nothing would be done and if they tried to act it might cause more problems for Tavnazia. A collective curse was the response to that, but they were truly stuck.

Ulmia stood straight, "This isn't the time to grieve…we must be strong. I demanded…I asked my grandfather for answers. I wanted to know what they did to Prishe, where Lay of the Immortals came from, and what this has to do with the sickness destroying our world. Please listen to me…"

Despachiare began the tale to his granddaughter by speaking of a painting that had once hung in a Tavnazian Cathedral long ago. Scrawled on it were the words of a song verse and a picture of a gate in the sky over a glorious white city. Between the city and the gates was a mighty beast standing guard with four limbs shackled; two attached to the gates and two attached to the city. It was only when Cardinal Mildaurian looked upon the picture did the white city receive its true name; Al'taieu.

The Cardinal had explained to her grandfather that the picture acted as a warning to future generations to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. As punishment for defying the Gods the white city, Al'taieu, was destroyed and banished to the bottom of the North Sea bed. She, like they were all probably thinking now, had wondered how Cardinal Mildaurian could know such things and Despachiare could only say that the Cardinal had spent a lifetime travelling the world and learning its secrets.

As to how this connected to Prishe; they had all already guessed. Despite the warnings from both Cardinal Mildaurian and the ancient painting, the people of Tavnazia still sought a way to enter Paradise and then, after finding no such path, a way to pull Altana into theirs. The verses of the ancient song were also handed down each generation by teaching them to choirs to sing.

"That still leaves us up Elshimo River without a paddle," Hanaa said.

"We're not done yet," Alain said and stood up. "I'm going to speak with Esha'ntarl."

-

After escaping from Pso'xja, Tenzen had chosen to travel back on the airship from Jeuno as he wished to swiftly return to the city to search out more answers. Now that the enemy had been identified as the Keeper of the Apocalypse he had to try and piece together how to identify who it was. It pained his heart, but at that point he still believed that it was Prishe who was unknowingly leading them to disaster.

Esha'ntarl was not available to see him and it looked as though Jeuno was preparing for a large movement of its fleet of airships. The next place he believed might reveal something to him was where the boy known as Selh'teus had first appeared. Getting information on this proved difficult at first, but eventually he was given details about the basement of Delkfutt's Tower on an island connected to the lower levels of Jeuno from a guard swayed by a few hundred Gil. With Phoenix still silent since leaving the Emptiness he had no choice but to place his faith in his own heart and headed out there.

It seemed strange that no guards blocked the way into the tower. There were bodies of slain Beastmen but nothing else. A short distance inside he found more bodies of monsters that had been heavily dismembered. A trail of blood led down a foul smelling passage and then circled around stairs leading to an upper floor. Beyond the staircase was a door that had been split open by some incredible force, revealing another set of a stairs that this time lead down. Ready for what might be below, Tenzen let one hand rest on the hilt of his katana as he descended into the darkness.

An eerie hum resonated down a hall lit by dim green light. Tenzen stopped sharply as he saw a shadow some distance ahead, suspecting it to be a creature. Only after a few seconds did he realize that it was not moving. Moving up further, he found that it was a body half slumped against the wall with another at its feet. Yellow ooze was leaking out of both all over the floor into a large puddle. He looked up in time with a subdued laugh echoing from further down. Picking up speed, Tenzen ran down the hall.

"You…"

Nag'molada turned from where he stood and sneered. The Chief Envoy of Jeuno stood before a large white marble console of some kind that hung by a thin bridge above a circular section in the middle of the room. Green light was flowing from the central circle that seemed to connect to thick white extensions that stretched in all directions and into the walls. Every so often the thick strips connected to the middle glowed, revealing strange markings along the length of each.

"You were the only one smart enough to come here seeking answers," Nag'molada muttered. "Are you shocked by this machine? We call those strands attached to this building the Crystal Line. It connects all the Mother Crystals to this point. This is where it all started. I know the answers are here, so close, yet the disease has spread even here and this stupid machine will not respond easily!"

The Chief Envoy struck the console at which he stood with both hands and swore loudly, before laughing again. Tenzen edged a few steps closer, but stayed cautious as the Hume before him did not seem of a fit state of mind.

"But how did he appear here? It makes no sense!" he continued ranting on. "Can he travel through the lines? It doesn't seem possible; Bahamut's appearance should be causing interference…unless he is receiving assistance from another Avatar. Then he is only a puppet…he is a ghost, a memory, nothing more. Her! She is the one!"

"I am unsure what you are referring to. Calm yourself and explain."

The Chief Envoy pointed at the console as if expecting him to instantly understand. With a sigh and an adjustment of his eye piece, he began to explain. He began be stating that Pso'xja was once the home to the Kuluu, cast out from the white city by the Zilart. A war between the two started and the Kuluu sought the aid of the Terrestrial Avatars. They received strength and power and Pso'xja became a fortress. One gift was the ability to interrupt the Crystal Line, though it came with a heavy cost. Just before it had been swallowed by Emptiness, that gift had been activated.

"What does this have to do with the boy? Or the Emptiness?"

He glared at him, "Try to keep up, Samurai. The true enemy isn't Selh'teus! He is the blunt instrument, a ghost from the past being controlled by another. Selh'teus was the one who helped stop the Zilart's first attempt to open the gates and now his spirit has been pulled back from death to do it again, no matter the cost! We're all victims of other's ambitions. The Zilart, the Avatars, even Selh'teus, they will deface our world with their sins. Ten thousand years ago the Emptiness spread to avoid ruin and now his spirit is doing the same thing again…draining the light from each to stop them."

Tenzen moved closer.

"If the Emptiness could only spread after the boy started stealing the light of the crystals then how can it be possible that my homeland became cursed far before the day he first appeared in this room?"

"The Emptiness had already started spreading long before that. He only sped things up a hundred fold. When this building was reactivated it would have began. The Zilart brothers were willing to sacrifice everything to escape to Tu'lia. They do say that if the gates are opened the land will be washed clean, like starting over from scratch. The Emptiness would be gone but so would every life touched by the chains. But as long as the Terrestrial Avatars stand in the way, the Emptiness will spread. Not only that, but the crystal that once sat in the Zilart city is now at the bottom of the sea and has become cursed."

_Is this the truth he speaks or has this Hume lost his mind? Pheonix…please speak to me, I must have your clarity on this matter! …Yet still you are silent. He cannot be right; something has happened that has driven him mad._

Reaching for his weapon, Tenzen stood in a battle stance. Nag'molada laughed out loud and shook his head in disbelief. He turned back to the console and started pushing glowing buttons, seemingly now ignoring him. Tenzen demanded that he face him and account for the lies he had spoken. The Chief Envoy laughed again.

"I forgot who I was speaking to. How could I expect a cursed being to listen to the obvious truth? You are as much a puppet as the rest, being forced to dance by the chains that bind your race. I do wonder if it is not better that your race vanished along with all the other tainted. What would it be like afterwards? I had never really thought about it until now. Of course you wouldn't understand that either, would you? You were born of this world just like the Avatars. If it were to be wiped clean both would disappear forever."

The machine suddenly started to beep furiously, drawing both of their attentions to it. The Chief Envoy began to frantically tap buttons on it and was laughing to himself as he did. A glowing square appeared in the air above them on which pictures fazed in and began to move. There was a wall of blue crystals and a strange tomb shaped green machine in the floor of an unfamiliar room. From the tomb light shot into the air as a body hovered up from it. Tenzen recognised the figure; it was Esha'ntarl.

"The Chamber of Eventide?!" Nag'molada exclaimed and suddenly bent double and grabbed his forehead. "That's it…that's how she did it! Your lies are exposed Eshan'tarl! I understand it all!"

Pushing past him, Nag'molada ran out of the chamber. Tenzen could hear the manic laugh of the Chief Envoy for some time after. He stood in silence, watching the scene replaying on the floating rectangle again so that there could be no mistake on who was rising from the strange contraption. Walking to the console, he looked over it but did not have any idea how to operate it. There was a fizzing sound and then the rectangle was gone as all life seemed to leave the machine before him.

_Phoenix, I must know! Who is my enemy? Who is the one behind this all? Show me who my enemy is! Must I now draw my blade against Esha'ntarl? If what Nag'molada said is true then your kind has as much at stake as mine. Please grant me your wisdom once more!_

He dropped on one knee as his Great Katana glowed brightly even still inside its sheath. He held his head as images were implanted in them and he heard Pheonix speak through the blade to him with renewed vigour. In answer to his questions he would be given a vision of the past.

In a field he saw Esha'ntarl standing before the Avatar of Fenrir. She declared to the Avatar that on his death bed, Selh'teus prophesized that from the darkness grown in each person's heart a being will be born known as the Keeper of the Apocalypse. Stopping this person would save the world from eternal twilight. Fenrir seemed unimpressed by this, but Esha'ntarl offered herself up as a vigil, one to stop the Keeper and continue Selh'teus' work. Fenrir is shocked by this and sees her as one who had escaped the curse successfully. She begs the Avatar for information; if she only knew when the Keeper would appear so she could stop them.

Fenrir hung in the air before the woman in the picture playing out in Tenzen's mind. The Avatar was impressed by this woman's decree and that she had somehow escaped the curse. As a reward he offered one small piece of information; ten thousand years from that day playing out in his mind, the Keeper would appear in a land called Tavnazia.

"The Abhorrent One…!"

With the vision now finished, he was forced from Pheonix's mind and panted loudly as he regained control of his body. Tenzen stood up and shook his head. Though he had believed it already, now there was absolutely no doubt in whom the true enemy was and the one they would have to defeat to save Vana'diel.

Prishe was the Keeper of the Apocalypse.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: ESHA'NTARL

Both Upper Jeuno and Ru'lude Gardens were swarming with Ducal Guard going in every direction. Something big seemed to be going on. Dock workers heaving crates and barrels went past in their dozens as Alain approached the palace. A quick glance skywards caused him to stop in the middle of the street as he saw no less than five airships circling the city. From hidden behind the palace two more scout class airships appeared and promptly flew off towards the east. He watched for a while, blocking out the sun by holding a hand above his eyes.

"No sightseers! Get out the damn way!" a worker carrying three satchels shouted.

"Wha…oh, sorry," he replied and moved nearer the edge of the marble walkway.

As he approached the arch before the palace entrance he was surprised to see three groups of ten soldiers lined up and presenting arms as if on parade. After standing to attention he was able to see past them, to Captain Wolfgang and another high ranking officer that he did not recognise addressing them all. Some orders were barked out and then the other high ranking officer left with two squads in tow. Before the third could move on, Alain coughed to announce his presence.

"What is it?" Wolfgang asked impatiently, leading Alain to wonder if the young soldier actually remembered who he was and when they had met prior. "Speak quickly if you have anything useful to say!"

"I need to speak to Esha'ntarl."

"Join the queue," Wolfgang scowled. "We are having trouble locating her, but she has not left Jeuno. If you want to try and find her I won't stop you, but if you do then send her to the audience chamber immediately."

Alain looked around again, "Is something happening?"

The only answer he received was a huff as Captain Wolfgang pushed past him with the group of Ducal Guards close behind. He watched them leave as he was not sure where to go next. The palace would have been the first place they had checked for Esha'ntarl if she had gone missing, so where else did that leave? The Auction House was not busy enough to get lost in a crowd and it did not look like anyone was around the elevator down to the residential area.

_Wait…if I am a Zilart and so is she… Maybe I can put this curse to some good use. If I can read Rost's thoughts and he's not even a Zilart then maybe I can read hers and find out where she's gone! Okay…here goes…_

He closed his eyes but did not really know what else he could do. There had never been any control over what he was able to hear or those times he had accidentally activated Zilart technology. If he really was one of them then the Whisper of Souls had to be inside him and doing its job, it was not like casting an elemental spell. He tried thinking of Esha'ntarl speaking with him and remembering her face, but that seemed to do nothing.

_Come on, concentrate…_

"Hey…isn't thataru the guy from before?"

_Do one useful thing!_

"I think itaru is. Why's he scrunchy-wunching his face up?"

"…Who cares? Come on!"

_Concen…wait a minute!_

Alain opened his eyes and looked around. He barely caught a glimpse of three tiny figures disappearing off into the palace, chuckling as they went. What were they doing there and why were none of the guards stopping them? Picking his moment, he swiftly slipped inside the palace entrance behind an unobservant Galka and tried to figure out just where they had gone to.

-

Esha'ntarl paced around the former Archduke's bedroom looking over all manner of items her former leader had gathered over so many years. She had found that retiring to that place helped her think, despite the flawed intentions no doubt schemed within the house of the Zilart Brothers. It was located at the far rear of the palace of Ru'lude Gardens and was not guarded. The Ducal Guard had always been under strict orders never to trespass on it unless formally invited, though Society Members could come and go as they pleased for the most part.

She mused out loud, "Even with the Crystal Line severed…as long as there are people then this world will exist. The memories of the crystals will exist through them and nothing will change that. We, the people, are born in the luminescence of the crystal's light and we will return to it when we die…"

She paused at a painting hanging to the side of the bed showing an artist's impression of a white city. It had not been done by a Zilart; it was an interpretation of Kam'lanaut's memories of Al'Tiaeu. The way he had described it to the artist resulted in it looking so holy and righteous in nature which reflected more on how the Zilart saw themselves rather than how it had actually been. For a city of white, it had a dark heart. Her gaze was broken from the painting as she felt a presence in the room.

"So, you've come," Esha'ntarl sighed.

"_People are also born from darkness and will return to it. Both are held within a life as was decided by the Goddess of the Dawn, for the sake of the Twilight God Promathia. Born from light and devoured by dark._"

He was using the pendant in her possession to speak directly to her Whisper. She could hear a voice she had last heard so many years ago when she promised to carry on his work. But this was not a joyful reunion and things had descended into a chaos she had never thought possible.

"Selh'teus…" she whispered. "As you prophesized to me…ten thousand years I waited and now our paths have crossed again. I had believed the pact with the Avatars to be completed; I believed the Keeper had been stopped. Will this cycle continue as long as the Keeper returns to the crystal?"

The boy was silent.

"Will you not speak with me any longer? Has your Whisper grown quiet? No, I think perhaps it is mine that is weak. Then use the pedant I have and link our souls together. We will walk the same path as we did ten thousand years ago, for the future of Vana'diel."

Revealing the blue pendant, she walked slowly towards Selh'teus with her hand outstretched. The boy reached out in kind, until his fingers caressed the jewel in the centre of the pendant. A small white light grew from blue jewel and she could begin to hear his voice more clearly. But then the boy pulled back and shot a glance towards the door to the bedroom. His figure faded as a wave of energy struck into her. Esha'ntarl flew backwards, straight through one of the bed posts, and into a dressed in the corner of the room. With a cry of pain she came to a stop in the pile of splintered wood as the whole royal bed collapsed in front of her.

With the bed now in pieces on the floor she could she her assailant. Nag'molada stood with a hand outstretched and a sneer on his face. Another ball of white light shot from his hand, aimed directly at her. Stumbling to her feet, she dived to the side and was pushed even further as a small explosion sent rubble and dust into the air. Getting onto one knee, she winced as she realized shrapnel had torn into her arm, drawing blood and making it nearly impossible to move it without extreme pain.

"You fooled so many people," Nag'molada began and took slow steps towards her. "You fooled so many…but not me! You wanted to link your soul to his, didn't you? Did you want your soul consumed like that pathetic Elvaan girl's?! No, no, there's another possibility. You just wanted to _pretend_ you were an obedient little slave, just like you did under Kam'lanaut, to keep yourself safe!"

She retorted, "You're insane! What is this madness that you have let consume you?!"

He spat at the floor as he reached her, "Just what I'd expect from Zilart scum. You don't try to deny your crimes, you just brush over them. Although, that isn't quite right…is it? You were a Kuluu, just like me! The Chamber of Eventide gave you back your Whisper, didn't it?! That is the real reason you did not want me to find Al'Taieu, you're trying to hide that the chamber was ever finished!"

Esha'ntarl wanted to get up, but the wound was distracting her. The cut was too deep. Her vision was getting blurry and she could not even consider trying to fight back after being taken by surprise. All her energy was being used just keeping herself upright. Despite her condition; she knew that the man in front of her was not of sound mind. Regardless, she had to try and reason with him as she could not fight.

"The chamber, all of the city, was destroyed ten thousand years ago!"

He grabbed her by the throat, "Foolish woman. When the capital fell, the power of the Avatars stored inside was absorbed into the city itself. Yes, it sunk to the bottom of the sea, but it is still there - held in an anomaly caused by that mystical power. Diabolos proved useful before you did away with him. Beyond the Fifth Crystal is the way to Al'Taieu. The anomaly might even have preserved the Zilart that were caught in the destruction; I must see it for myself! I will go there and I will find my answers. Then I will find the Chamber of Eventide and use it on myself and receive my gift! I will receive immortality!"

He drew his face right next to hers.

"Just like you."

He loosened the grip on her neck and let her fall to the floor. She spluttered and coughed violently as he took a few steps back and raised a hand towards her. Her mind darted from thought to thought, there had to be some way to calm him down enough to make a move.

Esha'ntarl panted, "You must not…go there. Selh'teus speaks true…it is not the place we remember… It is tainted…it has grown dark. If you don't believe me then touch the pendant…see his thoughts for proof."

Nag'molada laughed at the top of his lungs as a ball of white energy gathered.

"And have my mind taken over like you and the girl?! No, I think not. I will enjoy killing you, Esha'ntarl. I'll just say Selh'teus did it. The satisfaction of doing away with you is only matched by how far you have fallen, despite all the gifts that were just thrown at your feet."

"I'm not the one who has fallen," she whispered.

Nag'molada's body was suddenly engulfed in a dark purple warp bubble. Esha'ntarl fell forwards but could make out three tiny figures standing just outside the doorway. They ran over to her and one began to cast White Magic. With the bleeding stopped and some of her strength returning, she rose to her feet as the Chebukki siblings gathered around and cheered simultaneously. For once, it seemed, they had shown some good judgement.

-

Following the three troublesome Tarutaru had led Alain to the private home of the late Archduke. The doors had been left open and he had been sure he heard fighting from within. Down the first hall he found the three Tarutaru from Tavnazia gathered around Esha'ntarl, who looked like she had been wounded. Asking what happened, he was shocked to hear that Nag'molada had been the attacker.

"My three little saviours," Esha'ntarl said, "can you go to the palace and find Captain Wolfgang? I suspect he may be looking for me."

After some debating, the Chebukki's decided that it was in their best interests as future Jeuno Bureaucrats to do as ordered, and happily skipped off to find the captain. Alain started to shout after them that he had seen Wolfgang leave Ru'lude Gardens but they were already gone.

"Alain, wasn't it? I suspect you were also looking for me."

"I need answers," he replied.

"And what are the questions connected to those answers?"

He already had a list of them waiting, "Am I really a Zilart? Who were my parents? Why don't I remember anything about that? Why can I read Rost's thoughts? Why was I really chosen to be the Emissary of the Dawn?"

The woman before him sighed dejectedly and asked that he follow her to the dining room of the private home. He agreed and they left together, heading to the room across the first hallway. She took up a seat at the head of a long table with chairs lining each side and encouraged him to sit as well, but he refused. With a shake of her head, Esha'ntarl asked him what he could remember about his childhood.

That was an easy enough question for him to answer. He remembered only from the day he met Nokum-Akkum in an orphan camp during the war. There were not even vague memories of parents or a life before that. Strangely, she seemed almost happy with this answer, as if it confirmed something.

"When we first met, I believed I felt the presence of a Whiper of the Soul, but I could not be sure that it was not some reaction to the pendant you wore," Esha'ntarl said. "Are you a Zilart? Yes and no. I believe you are half Zilart, on your mother's side most likely. You have a Whisper, but it is weak and probably uncontrollable, hence why you are only able to hear those you are truly focused on."

"But…who, I mean, how many other Zilart are there? Is she still alive?"

"I have no idea who _she_ is. There used to be more of us, but the brothers saw to those who did not believe their ambitions to open the gates and they met with…accidents. Some went into hiding. It is entirely possible that during this time one took a Hume mate, resulting in your birth. If the Brothers found out about a mixing of races like that…it would result in death. I suspect that answers another of your questions; you lived because Altana had a plan for you."

Knowing these answers only unsettled him more. She then questioned why he was so concerned about the past. He was not sure what she meant by that. Since finding out he was one of the enemy it was all he could think about. The very idea made him feel sick. He could not put into words the deep pain he was feeling knowing that he was Zilart, even if it was only as a half-blood.

"You are still very quick to damn an entire race based on the actions of a few," Esha'ntarl mused. "Yes, the Zilart have done many things…guided by those who only sought personal gain, but there are those who were innocent and yet were still punished alongside the rest when the capital was sent to the bottom of the sea. You have seen Selh'teus thoughts, haven't you? You have seen Al'Taieu. That city was a thing of beauty created by those Zilart who did not care about domination or power."

Alain looked down, "I'm sorry…"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Given your contact with the Zilart thus far, I would not doubt that you would hate us so strongly. Then to go on to learn that you share the same blood as us… But at least consider what I have said, it may make the burden easier to bear in the future."

There was a commotion outside as Captain Wolfgang and four armed guards appeared, shortly followed by the Chebukki siblings who seemed tired out from trying to keep up with the longer legged soldiers. Wolfgang demanded to know what had happened and whether Esha'ntarl was seriously injured. She calmed the young captain and stated that the Tarutarus had helped her and there was no present danger. Next, Wolfgang asked if the Tarutarus claims that Nag'molada had been her assailant were true. On confirmation of this Alain was sure that he saw a smile.

"Lucius; issue an arrest warrant for Nag'molada immediately and alert all sentries that he may still be within Jeuno's walls. Extreme force is permitted in order to capture him," Wolfgang stated to the thin looking Hume on his left, promptly spurring the Ducal Guard out the door to carry out the orders.

Captain Wolfgang then moved onto even more pressing matters. He stated that patrols from Tavnazia had confirmed movement from within Riverne. Bahamut and a number of large Wyrms appeared from the hurricane surrounding the broken land and headed out to sea at top speed. The fleet had already begun preparations to move in force as, if they did not move swiftly, the inevitable battle would break out over Jeuno instead of over the sea. Alain was shocked that Bahamut had finally decided to make a move, but Esha'ntarl's face showed no expression. The others had to be told straight away that Jeuno was going to war with the Wyrm King.

Eventually the leader of Jeuno spoke, "So it seems that we have no choice but to fight. If there is more you wished to speak about it will have to wait, Alain. My apologises. Captain Wolfgang, I want every airship in the air within the hour and make sure that the society is informed. Until further notice we are considered at war with Bahamut. Send out envoys to the Allied Nations telling them to prepare. If we fail and Jeuno falls they will be attacked next."

"There is one more thing," Wolfgang said. "An Elvaan girl named Prishe willingly gave herself up and was arrested a short time ago."

This time Esha'ntarl could not hide the surprise on her face and Alain was equally as shocked. Prishe had turned up in Jeuno after all and, without seeing any of them, given herself up? But where had she been? She was not with the rest of them at Pso'xja after escaping the Emptiness. Asking to see the girl straight away, Esha'ntarl stood up and said that she would head to the audience chamber. As she went she told Alain to retrieve his friends and to do the same.

Less than ten minutes later Alain had gotten everyone from the hospital in Upper Jeuno and they now all waited with Esha'ntarl for Prishe's arrival. Only Tenzen was missing, no one seemed to know where he had gone to and it was not even known if he was still within Jeuno and Ulmia was with Wolfgang fetching Prishe from the prison cell she had been kept in.

Upon hearing some quiet muttering, Alain wandered over to a pillar in the audience chamber and found the Chebukki siblings plotting behind it. Realizing they had been discovered, they huffed and strode out like it had been planned all along, just as the doors to the room opened.

Esha'ntarl greeted those who appeared, "It's good to see you, Ulmia, Prishe."

"What the…hell?" Prishe stuttered and ran forward.

Ulmia held a hand in front of her mouth, "Cardinal…Mildaurion?!"

Knowing that time was short, Esha'ntarl calmed them and asked to listen quickly for they could not linger long. She apologised for the deception but stated that it was necessary. She had been born ten thousands years ago in the white city of Al'Taieu and given the name Esha'ntarl, not Mildaurion. Nag'molada, Kam'lanaut, and all the rest were just like her; an ancient race that had been woken from a long sleep. The Armathrwn Society was formed by them and from then Jeuno and the alliance.

She went on to explain that there was one difference between her and the other Zilart and Kuluu. She had been given the gift of immortality and she had pledged to use it bring about a pact made between Selh'teus and the Terrestrial Avatars. Fenrir had warned her that ten thousand years would pass and that a child of destiny would be born in an ill fated land. This child would be the Keeper of the Apocalypse and the one she had sworn to destroy.

That had been why she took on a new name and travelled to Tavnazia, finding a home amongst its peoples and teaching them many things about the past. But it was during this time studying ancient artefacts that she discovered a warning; destroying the Keeper of the Apocalypse would only set the darkness free to reincarnate as another person. She believed that the only true way to end the cycle was to destroy the source; the very darkness itself would have to be wiped from the Mother Crystal. She believed that to do any of that meant that the Keeper should not die in the form of a person, but of a god. She had hoped to use Lay of the Immortals to carry out this plan and had been doing everything in her power to revive Promathia.

Prishe looked down, "But I ruined that, right?"

During the baptismal ceremony, the real reason for which had been hidden from them all, Prishe had been controlled by Promathia and interrupted it. The darkness inside her reacted in direct contrast to the Eye of Altana – the brilliant white light stored within the box that Nag'molada had stolen – and stored up the darkness in the form of the black magicite in her chest. After that day Prishe had started being able to read anyone's mind, had the strength of ten, and did not age.

"What will happen to Prishe?" Ulmia asked nervously.

"If Bahamut has decided that now is the time to attack then the Keeper truly must be amongst the living," Esha'ntarl replied. "There are no other possible candidates for who the Keeper is. I'm truly sorry, Prishe."

The young Elvaan girl wiped under her nose and huffed, "We've gotta do what we've gotta do. Diabolos already told me everything, I saw his dreams. So, to stop this happening again you need to kill me in the form of a god, right? Sing the whole song and let's get it over with!"

Ulmia began to sob. None of the others could believe how emotionless Prishe was being about the prospect of dying. Esha'ntarl shook her head, stating that only four of the five verses of Lay of the Immortals had been discovered so they could not use them for that plan and for now all they could do was try to fight off the Wrym King's attack against them.

Alain tried to get everything straight in his head. Esha'ntarl was deliberately trying to revive Promathia, but only so that the Keeper would ascend into the form of a god. In that form the cycle would be broken if the god were killed. The magicite in Prishe's chest was a result of a first attempt at that which had gone wrong. The Eye of Altana had crystallized the Emptiness inside her.

How much she had suffered through without complaining or giving in humbled him. Was that what Esha'ntarl had trying to get him to see? He was dwelling on where he had come from instead of living with it and moving on. He kept forgetting that Prishe was probably a lot older than him, and she was certainly a lot wiser.

Now, as Jeuno went to war, they were left with three choices. They could sit back and let destiny play out the apocalypse all around them, they could go to war and fight against Bahamut and his army of Wyrm, or they could try and find the last verse to call Promathia into Prishe and then kill her.

Esha'ntarl walked towards the doors, "I must go and see to the fleet. All we can do for now is meet Bahamut in battle. I suggest you leave Jeuno; it may soon become a battleground. Also, if you still have that airship, we could use every last gun in the sky."

She walked through the doors and said only one more thing.

"Good luck, everyone. Pray that the Goddess Altana is on our side."


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN: SKIRMISH

Samuel walked through the middle deck of the Highwind looking around at all the new crates that had been carried on board. Out of nowhere a large group of tight lipped people had appeared, declaring that they were bringing helpful _gifts_ to them. Despite his confusion and worry over just what was happening, both his father and the Gentleman Thief welcomed them on board. Final checks were going on so that they would be able to take off at a moment's notice, so he had slipped off to find out just what had been in all the boxes and crates.

He did not want to pick just any of them sitting in the open, his best bet for not getting in trouble for snooping was to head down to the food storage area on the lowest level towards the middle of the airship. Sure enough, once he got down there, he found many more crates.

Easing one open, he was surprised to find that it was full of faerie apples. It seemed like just a normal supply stash. The next two he checked revealed nothing but food. The only thing strange about that was just how much they had been given; he did not think they would be leaving on any long trips. The next he checked was a rectangle shaped box and to his surprise he found it to be full of magic scrolls. A small box next to it was full of silver and brass bullets.

"…What is going on?" he asked out loud.

"Preparations for war," came an unexpected reply.

With a yelp he twisted around with hands raised, despite knowing no hand to hand combat skills. From a dark corner of the storage room the Gentleman Thief appeared and shook his head either from disappointment or dismay. Samuel asked what he meant; there was no wars going on after all.

"No war? Have you not been paying attention, dear boy? We are at war with the Wyrm King. I slipped out a short while ago and heard musings that Bahamut has made his move and at this very moment is heading towards Jeuno. You saw all those airships, surely? Jeuno is preparing to mount the best defence it can muster. Although I cannot presume to know what our friends will decide, I would place my last gil on the decision being to join the fight."

Samuel glanced at the box of bullets, "And these are going to hurt a Wyrm?"

The old Elvaan chuckled to himself and stated that he was simply preparing for any eventuality, especially considering the current upset in the balance of power turning Jeuno's wheels. Rather than argue what possible situation would call for the weapons inside some of the boxes, Samuel decided to change tact. He never really noticed something until recently that had been bothering him.

"Eh," he paused, "Gentleman Thief?"

"Yes?"

"Do you and my father know each other? I mean…before you saved me from Vessel."

The old Elvaan looked away and declared that it was not his place to speak of such things, instantly confirming that he was right. For some reason they were trying to hide it, but Pops had worried over the Gentleman Thief when he was wounded by Vessel and was always against handing him over to Bastok authorities. After everything had finished in Tu'Lia he had stuck around with them on board the Highwind as well, which seemed very strange if they were total strangers.

"Please…" he begged. "I know my father…I know Pops wasn't always an engineer. I can just about remember, but I was really young. I think he got in trouble a couple of times, I don't know why. That's about all I can remember, but I know it happened. It sticks out even though I can't really recall anything else from that long ago."

The Gentleman Thief looked back at him, "You have no memory of your mother?"

"…No, at least, I don't think I do. She died when I was still a kid."

"It is truly a tragic thing for you not to have known her for more than a fleeting second," the Elvaan muttered. "Everything changed when that fair haired woman died. Your father saw life differently and wanted to do right by her in raising you well and above all else; safely. I was humbled by his epiphany and new direction, but could not follow as easily. Yes, I knew your father even before you were born. It is not a time I wish to dwell on, so forgive me but that is all you will hear from me on this subject."

The Gentleman Thief left the wall he was leaning against and walked over to him. As he turned to walk down the corridor he placed a hand on his shoulder before going on his way. Samuel watched him go and then looked at the floor.

-

Alain and the others ran down the Artisan Bridge in Upper Jeuno while over head airships of all sizes launched into the air shot off in the direction of the coming danger. Unaware citizens were gathered in groups watching the ships fly over head and debated with each about just what was going on. They passed four children standing on the stairs outside the Temple of the Goddess seeing how many ships they could count before they got out of sight. There was a rumbling sound forever present in the air with so many Crystal Engines active at once, fighting against the unseen damage being done by the spreading of the Emptiness.

At the gates out into Batallia Downs they had to fight through a huge crowd that was pestering the Ducal Guards on duty there for information. They all eventually found their way through (Nokum-Akkum resorted to getting Renene to sit on his shoulders and swinging her staff at ankles to get by without being trampled). As they went, Hanaa pointed out that they had lost Ulmia and Prishe somewhere along the way, but there was no time to stop. It would take the Highwind some time to prepare for launch if they were not expecting anything, though hopefully seeing so many other airships would have alerted either Pops or Samuel.

A short run to the coast and they had reached the Highwind. As soon as they were on board they headed down into the middle deck and then into the pilot area. Samuel was there arranging some boxes near the wheel. While they all caught their breath it became obvious that there was a humming sound present; the airship's engine was already being powered up. Alain noted that now, beside the pilot's wheel, there was a gun resting within a tied leather holster and that the far side exit was sealed.

Catherine noticed as well, "What is going on? How did you know?"

"Allow me to explain, my dear," the Gentleman Thief said from behind them all, appearing as suddenly as usual. "Word of what is happening reached us some time ago and in an effort to prepare I sought help from _friends_. We are fully stocked with supplies and weapons and are ready to leave straight away."

"…Friends?" Alain asked suspiciously.

"Indeed, some we have in common I believe. Aldo is a helpful person. Not only did he provide the supplies and the man power to get everything on board so fast, he even _procured_ a pearl to the linkshell being used by the Jeuno armada just in case we need to relay a message…or listen in."

Although getting help from Aldo and his sources was a little underhanded, Alain could not deny that they could use all the help they could get. They were going up against Bahamut and his army of Wyrm kin and as strong as Jeuno's army of airships was, he was not sure it was enough. Taking some initiative, he asked everyone to stock up on anything they needed and to collect weapons and armour. Although the bulk of the fighting would be with airships, they could not take any risk. It was likely that the Wyrm army would have smaller minions to attack the innards of the ships.

While everyone headed for the one open door into the middle deck, Catherine approached the Gentleman Thief and presented the dagger that he had leant her before they entered Pso'xja.

"…Your dagger," she announced.

"Ah, yes. My dear, I think perhaps it will prove more beneficial in the long run if you were to hold onto that trinket just a little longer."

With only enough reluctance to muse over what he had said to her, Catherine took back the dagger and placed it on her belt. Alain silently questioned why the Gentleman Thief had not accepted the weapon back. It had to be part of some plot of his, but how a simple dagger, even if it were coated in poison or something similar, could make a difference was beyond him.

Samuel called over from the wheel, "Are we ready to go then?"

"Yes…wait, no. We ran on ahead of Ulmia and Prishe."

After seeing to his weapons and armour, Alain returned to the top deck to keep an eye out for the two missing companions. Five minutes past and then ten but there was still no sign of either of them. He considered heading back into Jeuno, but time was against them as always.

Then another thought crossed his mind. What if they had decided to escape? Prishe seemed to accept her fate as the Keeper all too easily, although Ulmia did not hide her despair or shock well. To escape her fate, to escape having to be killed in the form of a god, they might have tried to get back to Tavnazia. However, it was as he was thinking these thoughts that he saw Ulmia's head poke over the side of the cliff before she then started descending the rope ladder down to the deck.

"Forgive me," she panted. "We lost sight of you; we were stuck in the crowds."

Alain watched the top of the ladder, "Where is Prishe?"

"I told her, I had to…" Ulima said with a sigh. "I told her about Brute and what that man did. I've never seen her so angry…she ran off, I couldn't keep up. She said she was going to find and kill him!"

_She wants to kill Nag'molada? Well given what he's done already I wouldn't stop her, but if the Ducal Guard is still chasing him then he's probably already found a way to slip out of Jeuno…_

There was nothing they could do now if she had gone off on her own. For now their objective had to remain assisting the Jeuno armada against the Wyrm King's army. Returning below deck he explained the situation and all the propellers were brought to full power as the airship lifted from the ocean and into the sky. They gave Jeuno a wider berth just in case any faster airships shot off unexpectedly and followed after some of the others already en route to the sea. As they flew by it seemed like there were still many airships either hovering over the city or still preparing in the ocean ports below.

"I don't see the flagship," Samuel mused as they passed by.

The linkpearl given to them by Aldo attuned to the same shell being used by every Jeuno airship would light up every so often as status checks and orders echoed through it to the other airships. It seemed like three units were already at the destination they had chosen to meet Bahamut with two more close by and four still preparing. Depending on the unit's purpose it would be comprised of anywhere from one to six airships of varying classes. For some units to already be there it probably meant they were largely scout ships and not really built for intense combat.

…_Firaga I reporting, unit en route to Black Sea, advanced units still out of communication range for approximately forty minutes…_

…_Scout ship Aero V requesting confirmation of Thundaga unit status…_

"The entire Thundaga airship unit is the personal well armed escort for the current commander of Jeuno," The Gentleman Thief stated to them all.

Alain walked over to the pearl, "So Sigma XIII is in that unit?"

"No," was the swift response. "That unit is comprised of Thundaga I through V. Sigma XIII is considered a single unit given its size and firepower. I'd imagine it is already on its way given it is most likely slower than every other class, but let us listen in further and see."

…_Thundaga unit? It has yet to leave Jeuno. It will be supported by Sigma XIII…_

…_Say again, Control. Sigma XIII? The flagship is ahead of us with three escorts…_

…_Impossible, the crew was ordered to wait for Thundaga unit…_

They all gathered around the pearl, now feeling tenseness in the air as the controller organising all the different airship units went silent for a while to check what the scout ship had reported.

…_Aero V, please confirm; you say that Sigma XIII is ahead of you…?_

…_Affirmative…_

…_Sigma XIII, respond immediately..._

Still they were silent and so was every other airship listening in. There was no response even after the Control demanded an answer from the flag ship twice more. Something had to be very wrong. To their collective shock the next voice to speak over the pearl was different from before.

…_All airships, this is Esha'ntarl. A rogue society member wanted for a number of crimes has taken control of Sigma XIII using reprogrammed Mammets. Power down any Mammets on board your airship immediately. Sigma XIII and any airships solely piloted by Mammets are to be considered dangerous, avoid getting into their line of fire and give them a wide berth until reinforcements leave Jeuno. Warn the advanced units as soon as possible…_

Alain frowned, "Nag'molada… What is he doing now?!"

…_Order confirmation; if one of the ships fires on us how are we to react…?_

…_You may return fire; we must contain this before the Wyrm King reaches us…_

Alain turned to Samuel and told him to get them to the Black Sea as fast as possible. It was now that he could explain Nag'molada's decent into madness and his unprovoked attack on Esha'ntarl. The engines hummed louder than before as they were propelled through the air faster than ever before, overshooting a number of the slower classes of Jeuno airship.

…_Control we have a sighting of an unidentified airship, it isn't from Jeuno…_

…_Do not fire on them, I repeat; do not fire on them. Support them if they advance…_

It looked like Esha'ntarl was leaving a lot up to them, given that her unit of airships were still not ready to leave Jeuno. Nokum-Akkum and Renene disappeared for a few minutes and returned from the upper deck and exclaimed that a handful of Jeuno's airships were trying to keep up with them and were forming around them. Alain looked over to the map and then walked over to Samuel to ask just how long it would take them to reach the Black Sea.

"At this speed?" the young pilot asked rhetorically. "Four hours, maybe three if we really push the engines. Ah, but we'll catch up with that flag ship and the Mammet controlled ones long before that…"

Hanaa folded her arms, "Sigma XIII, that huge airrrship we saw in Riverne?"

Cid had warned him. He remembered it clearly. The Highwind was not built for direct combat with another airship, especially one with far more armour and weaponry. But Nag'molada was clearly trying to avert Jeuno's defence and they had to try and stop him before the advanced units waiting out at sea got attacked from the rear. Hopefully the extra help they would receive from the few scout ships able to keep up with their speed would be enough.

From the pilot wheel Samuel called everyone over and pointed out the front windows. In the distance there were three objects, but it was hard to tell exactly what they were. Hanaa pressed right up against the glass and confirmed it was either three floating blobs or the front of three small scout ships. Alain wrote the three ships off as just being more of the Jeuno armada that they had caught up with using superior speed, but then realized that Hanaa had said that she could make out the fronts of the ships, meaning they were heading back towards them.

…_Three silent airships approaching the unidentified ship we are following. Cannot confirm identification from this distance, suspected scout vessels that left with Sigma XII, please advice…_

…_Try and get in contact, if there is no answer then consider them Mammet manned and extremely dangerous. They will most likely try to board rather than fire small arms on the scout ships; be prepared. Permission given to fire…_

Pops appeared in the pilot area and asked what was going on. It looked like they were being drawn into battle a lot earlier than expected. Pops listened and did not complain or grumble, which had to be a first. He ordered Samuel to prepare the cannon and turned to go back to the engine room, but then remembered something.

"Whichever one of you is in charge is going to need to decide which defence mode we're going to use and I'd do it quick," the old Hume said gruffly and then disappeared out the door.

Not knowing what he meant, Alain turned to Samuel for answers. The young pilot explained that the Highwind could either; raise a protective barrier that would prevent objects ramming them and people jumping on board, or they could raise a magical shell which would absorb any kind of energy attack for a short while which included airship cannon fire, but they could not sustain both at the same time and switching between modes took time. Also, the single cannon mounted to the front of the Highwind could not fire while the shell was active.

They turned to him, expecting him to make the decision. He was taken back by their collective gaze, but knew this was no time to hesitate. If using the shell would stop them firing the main cannon then it would mean they could not try to take out one of the airships before it got too close. However, if they used the barrier then they could not fire the first shot and would be at risk from enemy fire. They were still waiting.

"Alright," he said at last. "We need to try and bring down one of those airships before they start mixing with the others or we won't be able to tell them apart. Don't raise either shield and fire the cannon as many times as we can until they close in, then raise the shell."

"What about the risk of boarding parties as Esha'ntarl warned, old boy?"

"I think I have a plan."

-

Samuel left the wheel to the care of the Gentleman Thief as he rushed over to the side console and started flipping switches. Leaning over to the communication pipe that connected all the way back to the engine room he explained to his father that they were preparing to fire the cannon twice. A simple confirmation echoed back down the pipe to him instead of the curse words he might have been expecting. Even with two engines firing multiple times without letting the crystals cool was risky, but two they could probably manage pretty easily.

To have a chance of catching any of the scout ships off guard they would need to wait until they were slightly closer, which in itself was a risk since they would also be in range of any weapons pointed at them. It seemed like Alain was hoping for the chance that Mammets were not good pilots and would not react well. Whatever plan he thought up had also emptied the room, bar Ulmia, as everyone headed up onto the upper deck. The second door to the pilot area was closed and now so was the mid-section and the stairs leading up.

The Gentleman Thief confirmed that he had moved them enough that the cannon was in line with the middle airship of the three approaching them. They were approaching in a line so this would hopefully mean that it could not try to avoid the shot without causing further damage to the others. With a few more presses the energy began building up. He shouted out for everyone to brace their selves.

The Highwind rocked back like it had just been hit by a powerful air current as a ball of energy fire from the front cannon and stretched across the sky before them. Samuel flipped the switches required to start gathering more energy for another shot and then ran over to the front window to see if they had hit. There was a blinding flash as the ball of energy erupted in front of the middle airship. As remnants of the energy faded and fell towards the land below Samuel swore as the airship emerged unscathed, with a green shell flickering before it.

"Fire again swiftly!" The Gentleman Thief shouted. "The shell on that ship bore brunt and will not withstand another. Quickly, before they react!"

A groan echoed through the airship followed by another sudden jerk as the second shot fired. Samuel ran back to see if it hit and could only stare in dismay with an open mouth as both side airships pulled off to allow the middle one to move just enough to avoid the shot completely. The ball flew past and then was pulled down towards the coast, eventually exploding on contact with the sea.

A white light was forming in the central airship as it readjusted itself. The one that had been on the left had hovered higher, while the right had continued to pull off in possible pursuit of allied airships behind them. Realising that they were about to be fired on he almost slid back to the console as the Gentleman Thief shifted the Highwind as abruptly as it would allow.

The Highwind's shell probably came online just in time, but thanks to the reactions of the old Elvaan the shot barely came close to hitting. The central airship was now pulling off to the side but was keeping level with them. The one above was swooping round at astonishing speed, mostly likely preparing to drop Mammets on board. He looked up at the roof of the pilot area and prayed that Alain and the others were prepared.

-

Both shots had missed. Alain cursed inwardly; he had hoped at least one of the three attacking airships would get taken out. Now one of the airships hovered in the air above the Highwind and he knew what was coming. He was in place and so were the others, now all they had to do was wait.

All at once four Mammets jumped over the side of the airship above them. Almost acting in complete unison with each other they drew back their hands and the blades of scimitars appeared. As they reached the deck one was suddenly caught in the air. Its stomach bent in on itself as the blade of his Scythe cut it in half still in mid air, sending yellow liquid in all directions. The invisible spell he had cast on him wore the second contact was made but his surprise had been sprung well before then. A second Mammet took a blast of Holy energy to the face a meter above deck leaving no trace and another lost its head to a thrown axe, sending it over the side.

The last of the Mammets dropped safely, but straight into the spilt yellow liquid which seemed to stick its feet to the deck. Alain sliced up the centre of its body but the Scythe past through as if it were not there. Spinning with the momentum of the slice, he let go with one hand and blasted a ball of fire into its face, melting it instantly. He called out to Renene to carry out the next part of the plan.

A summoning circle appeared out of no where on top of the study at the back of the upper deck. As soon as it did Renene's invisible spell wore off too. The Avatar of Fenrir appeared in all its glory next to her. While he and Hanaa tried their best to damage the airship still hovering above them with their elemental magic and Catherine's White Magic, Renene sent her Avatar leaping over the side of the deck. It moved through the air at speed and crashed down with force on the passing deck of one of the other attacking airships.

Alain looked up as green light shined down. Neither he nor Hanaa were strong enough to break through the shell of the airship above. Suddenly it was pushed off to one side as a small blast from one of the allied ships hit it. It did not break through the shell either, but had to have done damage. He continued firing bolts of thunder up at it while Hanaa alternated elements far quicker.

Fenrir ripped into the deck of the airship he had been sent to attack. Magical energy erupted around him with each roar, decimating the area around. Pushing forwards with another strong bite it broke clean through and disappeared below deck. A few seconds later the airship shuddered and then broke down the middle as a glowing purple moon burst out from inside. Sections of the airship cascaded towards the water below as Fenrir vanished from mid air, leaving Renene quite exhausted.

Everyone on deck looked up as two more rounds from other airships struck the one hovering above, throwing the debris past them as it was blown to bits. They ducked and dodged as tiny sections managed to fall onto the deck. Catherine looked over the side Fenrir had jumped and reported that it looked like the third had been taken care of by the allied airships from Jeuno. A scout ship on their side appeared where one of the attackers had been just above them, as if showing off. It flew past, which led Alain to believe that firing their own cannon had slowed them considerably due to how much power was used each time.

"I must admit, that was a clever plan," Hanaa grinned as they gathered around.

"Thanks, I think," he replied.

Catherine held his arm, "You did well, Alain."

Collectively they turned as the allied airship that had just passed them exploded into an amber ball of flame. The two Tarutarus were knocked off their feet as the knock back struck them all. Even he nearly lost his footing thanks to the yellow liquid. There was nothing left of the airship barely seconds later, it and the crew on board that had helped them were no more.

Through the hanging mist of black smoke remaining in the air, Alain saw a huge looming shadow amongst dark clouds on the horizon. Panic struck him. He ordered everyone below deck and they did so without question. It looked as though Nag'molada was bringing the fight to them personally.

"Sigma XIII…"


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY: BATTLE OVER THE BLACK SEA

The Highwind shifted sideways sharply as Alain and the others descended the stairs to the middle deck, throwing most of them onto the ground. Picking himself up with a grunt, Alain managed to navigate into the now open door to the pilot area before being thrown sideways again. Looking up from where he fell, he saw both the Gentleman Thief and Samuel struggling to twist the main wheel. A blast of white energy rocketed off to the side of them as Sigma XIII fired again. Two scout ships that were still with them both appeared off each side and swooped forwards with the cannons on board charging.

"Get us out of the line of fire, fly high…or low!" he shouted at the two would be pilots.

The Gentleman Thief spoke without turning, "Appreciate the advice, my boy, but the main cannon mounted to the front of that airship can change the direction it fires in. Three small cannons line each side and the aft has a smaller one as well, the only weaponless section is underneath and our options for getting there are somewhat dampened by the vast expanse of sky between us and it."

He cursed in a whisper as he stood up. Sigma XIII was hanging back and at a slightly elevated height to range its fire better. While the scout class ships with them might stand a chance getting close, they were slower as a result of firing the gun and dodging shots in something as cumbersome as an airship would nearly impossible. From the linkpearl for the armada from Jeuno voices were shouting over one another to try and establish what to do. It sounded like help was on the way, but even then it would not be easy. There was another sharp jitter as the Highwind settled again slightly off to one side but still with the enemy visible through the front window.

Considering the options, he found that they were well and truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they wanted to try and board Sigma XIII or simply to get under it so that it could not fire on them they would need to charge straight at it and he doubted their shell could take enough blasts for that. If they stayed away and fired back they would still take hits and he doubted their single small cannon would be enough.

"What are we going to do?" Catherine asked, suddenly at his side.

"The surviving scout ships are charging in," Samuel noted.

"We need to help them, it'll blow them to pieces otherwise," Alain said. "Forget firing our gun, get us to that airship; we need to get on board it. If we can stop Nag'molada maybe we can save Jeuno having to blow up its own flagship before the Wyrm even get here. Do whatever you can to avoid its shots!"

-

Nag'molada strode past three Mammets standing at various control points around the bridge area of Sigma XIII. Unlike most conventional airship designs, it was located above the main deck leaving more space within the hull for weaponry and an expanded Crystal Engine based on some of Kam'lanaut's best work. He had taken great pleasure in mounting the theft of such a magnificent piece of machinery and it had been all too easy with Mammets he had helped create by his side.

Walking towards the front of the bridge, he peered out of the window with a satisfied smirk on his face. The airships from Jeuno were mounting an attack while the other was cowardly hiding behind. Though two scout class cannons would take considerable time to break through the shell protecting Sigma XIII, but he had no choice but to order that the focus of their fire be changed to those two, to prevent anything unexpected happening.

"Nag'molada!"

A voice screamed out from somewhere close. He looked around while the lifeless Mammets went on with their business as if having never heard a thing. It had come from outside, he was sure of it. Leaving the bridge via a side door he travelled around a small walkway until he was standing in front of the main window and looked down. Now, outside and in the blowing wind, he saw where the voice had come from.

Directly underneath the bridge area stood the Elvaan girl with whom Esha'ntarl had plotted. Somehow she had gotten onboard without his knowledge, which was an impressive feat. She walked out from where she had been hiding and into plain sight in the centre of the main deck. Nag'molada raised a hand to his eye piece and tapped it before shrugging with bemusement.

"…A stowaway? How original," he mocked. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

The Elvaan girl's face turned dark, "I'm here to kill you."

A Mammet leapt at her from a hatch leading below deck. From midair the side of her fist caught it, sending it flying over the side of the airship. Another from a hatch on the opposite side met a similar fate, much to his amusement. He clapped his hands at her, acknowledging her obvious strength.

"So you have come to avenge the Galka that I left to die in those aqueducts? How noble, especially for something like you. The Abhorrent One, was it? You are unworthy of the gifts granted to you, just like your mentor."

Prishe motioned with her hand, "Come down here and fight me you coward! I'm giving you the chance to fight me honourably! Try to run and you'll be sorry!"

He flicked his hair as an updraft caught him and laughed out loud as all around the airship the green shell lit up as a shot from one of the attacking airships was fully absorbed. Crossing his hands over his chest he looked down at her and said nothing and awaited her impatience to betray her.

Prishe pulled back one of her fists and charged forwards. Barely a few seconds later she skidded and pulled sideways as some kind of metallic claw ripped up through the main deck of the ship. It caught the side of her arm throwing her off balance as another claw tore upwards through the wood and battered her to the opposite end of the airship, where she came to a stop after smashing into a housing of the front gun.

From the bowels of Sigma XIII the first of his best creations arose. This biomechanical monster, built to hover off the ground with a talon-like tail and two huge claws for ripping things apart, obeyed his every word. It was crafted from highly energized metals brought to artificial life to create a monster resistant to most magics and to be free from pain. He had named this monster Ultima.

His creation let out a metallic screech as it twisted its claws around in the air and approached Prishe, who was standing in shock nursing a wounded shoulder and was frozen with awe at the beast hanging in the air before her. Small blue jewels crafted into both shoulders of Ultima glowed with power as it prepared to attack once again. Prishe backed up further against the wall.

"What the hell is this thing?! Don't hide behind monsters, Nag'molada!"

"Hide?" he growled. "I would not dirty my hands with you when Ultima can do it for me. Behold one of my two finest creations. And now let us test this immortality of yours; how does it compare to Esha'natarl who has lived for ten thousand years?!"

Ultima charged at her with both claws, but at the last minute she dived sideways, resulting in the beast ripping into the housing for the front cannon. He spat at the stupid mistake; the main gun had probably been damaged and had most likely been her objective. Ultima followed where she rolled too, catching her arm and leg with flailing talons and drawing blood in the process. Prishe ran forwards, letting both claws catch her again as she went, in order to assault its chest with all her might. As she pulled her swing forward the tail of the beast twisted around to face forwards and struck like a jagged whip. Prishe was stopped mid swing as it met with her stomach, drenching the floor in red. Nag'molada clapped his hands in amusement once more.

His eyes narrowed; he saw movement. Prishe's hands were still moving. They slowly rose from her sides and grabbed Ultima's tail. She tugged back the section that had struck her and then with a mighty scream tugged the beast onto its back and started to twist. With godly strength she turned full circle and thrust the biomechanical beast straight at him. His figure vanished for a second before reappearing safely, hovering in the air above where he had been standing. His creation smashed into the front of the bridge area but thankfully it was reinforced and all that was damaged was the glass window, which would not hinder the Mammets. While Ultima righted itself with another screech he appraised the condition of the girl.

"Interesting," he mused. "You bleed yet you do not die and it looks like your body can only be grazed by weapons and not fully pierced. So it is true; you really are immortal. You have that which I seek and I will not be stopped in my quest to obtain it! Not you, not Esha'ntarl, no one!"

"Yeah you talk big," Prishe replied as she spat out blood. "But I'll stop you."

He laughed, "Will you indeed? You are strong, I will grant you that, but Ultima is far stronger. Ah, and it appears that my experiment has discovered something else about your gift; though you cannot die, you can still feel pain. How…unfortunate, for you."

The glowing jewels on Ultima's shoulders fully charged and unleashed a powerful blast of pure non-elemental energy.

-

"Don't ask me why but it isn't firing at us!" Samuel shouted.

"Is it firrring at the scout ships from Jeuno then?" Hanaa asked.

The Gentleman Thief replied, "Only with the smaller cannons. It appears that something has disrupted the main gun; I can see smoke I believe. Though the side cannons are weaker than the main gun they are still very potent, so if the other airships do not realize they can now safely attack from the front I fear they will still be destroyed."

Alain was not sure at first what or who could be helping them, but then Ulmia appeared by his side with clasped hands and then he realized. Somehow, when Prishe had slipped away from them all, she had found her way onto Sigma XIII. She had to be trying to get revenge from Brute, it was the only explanation. They were all taken back as an explosion appeared somewhere on the main deck of the flagship.

They were getting closer but still could not see clearly. It looked like the shell protecting from outside cannon fire had helped subdue the explosion, despite it being on the inside. Sigma XIII did not look damaged, besides a huge plume of smoke raising into the air, and this was confirmed when one of the side cannons fired on one of the Jeuno scout ships, knocking its shell out completely.

"If you intend to jump on board then I suggest you prepare yourselves," the Gentleman Thief stated. "We will reach Sigma XIII in no more than three minutes."

Alain found where his scythe had fallen during one of the many shakes and told everyone who was able to follow him back up to the top deck ready to jump on board with him.

-

Ultima jerked from side to side as Prishe leapt onto his shoulder and started pounding into the side of its head as hard as she could. Dents formed but she could not break it and soon one of the claws caught her side and, with a scream of pain, she was thrown back down to the floor, where the tail then struck into her back. The beast began preparing another blast, but seemed to be moving slightly slower. Nag'molada huffed; it looked like one of those stray blows to the head had done some damage after all, but not enough to stop it.

Prishe picked herself up off the ground and ran by Ultima, before leaping towards him. He did not move; he stood with his arms folded and a grin on his face to help incite more hatred. Inches from his face her bloodied knuckle halted as Ultima latched onto her leg, swung her like a pendulum, and smashed her straight into the floor. The thick wood gave way from the impact, forcing her below deck. Ultima retracted its claw and hovered in silence, expecting her to re-emerge. With disgust, Nag'molada wiped the droplets of blood that had landed on his cheek.

"Don't try to hide, girl!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as one of the annoying scout ships off to one side lost half of its undercarriage to a blast from a small cannon. "If you stay down there, I'll have to awaken my other pet!"

With a loud laugh he touched his eye piece and from down below he felt Omega come to life. There was silence for a moment and then through one of the many holes now littering the main deck Prishe was thrown up and came to a halt after meeting the deck once more. With silent commands through his eye piece he held Ultima back as Omega emerged, leaving her standing between the two.

From where he hovered in the air he caught something out the corner of his eye. The airship housing the half-Zilart and the rabble he travelled with from Bastok were almost upon them and had not been stopped after the main gun was disabled. He frowned; he had wanted to see both his pets make the immortal suffer, but steps would have to be taken before Sigma XIII fell to the likes of that.

-

Alain and the others all waited on deck with weapons drawn. They would pull up as they made the final approach on Sigma XIII to avoid the side cannons and then would jump on deck to find Prishe and stop Nag'molada before any more airships were needlessly lost. One of the scout ships had taken a heavy blow and now floated in the air unable to move beyond up and down with most of the front lower deck missing. How the Crystal Engine had survived had been a miracle, but the airship would never be able to land and thus was essentially stranded until they could save the crew on board.

Carried on the wind were two powerful screeches. They approached the sides of the airship and looked towards Sigma XIII, to see two huge monsters of some kind. One hung in the air and had broad shoulders and thin clawed arms. The other was on four legs and acted almost like a spider and had a huge red jewel lodged on the front of it. While the hovering one seemed far more interested in what was happening on board the flagship, the other was crawling up the destroyed front cannon and was perched on it like an agile insect.

"Whataru…is…that?" Nokum-Akkum gulped.

Suddenly the strange creature leapt like a frog across the open sky to the hovering badly damaged scout ship. All four legs tore into the wood as it landed, almost turning the airship on its side as it dug in. There was nothing they could do; it had happened too fast. They could only look on as fire erupted around the floating wreckage as the remaining propellers slowed and it began to fall towards the sea.

"It'll come after us next, we need to move! Get down and tell Samuel-

Was all he could shout as a large shadow descended on the Highwind. The mechanical creature fell upon the armoury and front cannon, crushing both with its powerful legs and tilting the whole airship downwards. The smaller propeller at same side was caught underneath and, after a series of sparks, bent and crumpled. Most of them fell to the floor as it landed on the Highwind, but quickly got up in an effort to drive it off before it brought them down the same as it had done to the last scout ship.

Shots of lightning and white light battered the closest leg of the creature as it seemed to take satisfaction in smothering what was left of the front cannon. One of Nokum-Akkum's axes swung round like a boomerang and caught the opposite leg, but it bounced off harmlessly. Fenrir leapt onto its back and tried in vain to somehow rip open the outer shell to destroy whatever was controlling it. Alain held back and watched; nothing seemed to be working and the Highwind was still tipping down despite the other propellers trying to keep them level.

Aggravated by the attacks, the creature lurched back slightly revealing the huge red crystal just beneath its head. It began to draw in magical energy from all around it and looked like it was preparing to fire a blast straight through the middle of the airship. They had no time left; it was trying to finish them in a single shot and if they could not beat the monster then they had to knock it off before the attack was unleashed.

"Eagle Eye Shot!"

Samuel aimed his gun using his wrist to steady his aim and imbued the silver bullet inside with the magic a Ranger could control. In a similar fashion to the creature, energy was drawn to the barrel of the gun but far faster. A circle of purple and black expanded around the gun as a thin but potent blast sent the bullet from the barrel at blinding speed, knocking Samuel backwards and almost down the stairs. The empowered bullet rammed into the red jewel of the creature just as it peaked and exploded on contact. They were all thrown backwards by the resulting blast and it felt like the Highwind was coming apart.

Alain picked himself up on the floor and looked over to Samuel, who had a satisfied grin on his face despite his hand looking bruised just from baring the brunt of the shot. Hanaa stood up and stretched her tail before heading towards him, looking like she was about to knock him around the head. Then they all heard a mechanical sound and through the smoke caused by the explosion a clawed leg descended.

Hanaa turned and raised a hand just fast enough to bring up a protective barrier. It cracked on impact and sent her skidding across the floor, but had been enough to save her. The hulking beast still clung to the Highwind, though its face was no longer visible amongst the twisted metal around where the red jewel had been and its other front leg was just a stub.

_Damn it, how can it still be moving?! It probably can't even see…but it still has got enough life in it to damage the Highwind. I don't have much choice…I have to get rid of it now!_

He knew Catherine would oppose, he knew it would scare her, but he had no choice. From the darkness inside he called on the full potency of his Dark Knight abilities and out stretched his hand to summon the golden scythe Apocalypse. His thick armour was replaced by the ancient Hydra Corps wears and an aura of black magic hovered around him, shining a dark red in time with Last Resort. He would finish it in one blow.

He charged forwards holding Apocalypse horizontal at his side, drawing on all the power he could bring out. He leapt onto the wreckage of the armoury and avoided the one good front leg the monster had as it blindly tried to fend him off and drew back his weapon.

"Catastrophe!" he yelled.

A ball of dark amber and red grew from the tip of the golden scythe as it met with the under belly of the beast. He met with resistance despite the power behind the skill but still managed to drag it up through the center of the monster causing a number of small blasts as it went. Most of the magic energy still inside the creature was stolen by his ability and transferred to him. The momentum from the swing had held him in the air but now he dropped and watched the creature, now missing more than half its body, as it stumbled backwards.

Everyone's eyes were on him, he could feel it. He hated showing his power in such a way but there was nothing else they could have done. The golden scythe fell from his hand and the ancient armour turned to vapour. He was about to turn around when out the corner of his eye he saw the beasts good front leg stretching out at him. It had no difficulty encircling his upper body and tightening like a vice, before it lost its back footing and fell from the airship, dragging him with it.

"Alain!" he heard Catherine scream as he was pulled over the edge.

There was too much weight to fight against as the top deck of the Highwind sped by below him, followed by where the railing had been at the side. He felt the creatures grip around his body loosen as what little magic energy driving it seemed to finally die out, but by then it was too late; he was free falling down the front of the Highwind. He heard glass smash; it might have hit the front window of the pilot area as it fell.

Someone grabbed him. He did not know how it was possible but someone did. His hand pulled taunt and suddenly he was hanging by it in mid air. He looked down and saw what was left of the monster fall into the sea, before looking up and being shocked to see the Gentleman Thief hanging over the side of the middle deck. With some difficulty, he was dragged up by the old Elvaan and into the pilot area just as everyone else appeared and were relieved to see that he had been saved.

…_Scout ships report in, over? Thundaga unit ETA is 1 minute, I repeat…_

…_Make way for HIGH CLASS PIRATES!!..._

…_Who was that?!..._

…_Airship…what was it called? It said on the thing over there! Never mind. This airship is now called Airship Super Chebukki! We are delivering Super Samurai Tenzen to the big airship, so don't get in our way!..._

The thanks for saving his life would have to wait; it sounded like the Chebukki siblings had stolen an airship on Tenzen's behalf to get him to Sigma XIII as fast as possible. It was most likely that his goal was to try and kill Prishe, if that was even possible. Things had just gotten even more complicated

-

Time was running out and Omega had somehow managed to be destroyed. Nag'molada did his best to hide his rage at losing such a brilliant machine and he still had Ultima to amuse him. Looking out across the sky he saw a unit of airships approaching and recognised it as the Thundaga unit. There also seemed to be a new lone scout ship coming round fast from the far side. Nag'molada smirked to himself; it seemed like he had wasted too much time torturing the Elvaan girl. That left him with very few options.

Still hanging in the air, he turned as he felt a presence appear and was somewhat surprised to see Esha'ntarl before him. It was impressive that she could selectively teleport at such a distance given where her airship currently was, but the defences of Sigma XIII were all but destroyed now and would not have hindered her. She looked at him in disbelief, and then at shock at Prishe fighting for her life against Ultima.

"Why?" she stuttered, "Why do this to her?!"

"Your partner in this farce deserved such punishment for attempting to hinder my grand plans," he sneered in reply. "And now here you are, someone else who is unable to die, perhaps looking to feel the blades of my wonderful creation?"

She ignored his question, "Did you do all this simply to seek answers from Bahamut? I know the pain you must feel…and about the fate of the capital, you tried to stop it happening back then. But this is not the way!"

"Do not speak to me of such things, coward. You hid away in the Chamber of Eventide instead of fighting, just to save yourself. In doing so your soul was washed of all sin and you received the gift of eternal life. That's all I want; to wash away the darkness tainting my soul!"

A loud smash from the deck of Sigma XIII drew both of their attentions. Prishe stood on the back of Ultima's body holding its head by a wire that had connected to its spine and was spinning it around like a toy with a smile partly hidden by the blood running down her face. A scout airship pulled right up next to the flagship and from it appeared the Samurai who had tracked him down in the basement of Delkfutt's Tower. On the opposite side the airship from Bastok and the Thundaga unit were also close. Time had run out.

Esha'ntarl stretched out a hand to grab him but he moved instantly, higher into the air and far enough away to do what he had planned all along. Quietly at first but then getting louder, he began to sing Memoria de la Stona, causing a giant rift to appear in the sky at the rear of Sigma XIII.

-

Tenzen leapt onto the badly damaged deck of the Jeuno flagship and watched the dark purple rift appear in the sky. He was distracted only briefly as Prishe appeared at his side and seemed badly wounded. No normal person would be able to stand let alone walk if they had the same injuries.

To all but one man's surprise, the Wyrm King Bahamut appeared from the magical rift, called by the enchanted song. Its huge wings battered the flagship as it hung in the air observing the situation playing out before it and listening to the song being sung. With only a passing glance back towards Esha'ntarl and a grin, Nag'molada vanished. Taking a slow step forwards, Tenzen gripped the hilt of his sword but then hesitated as Prishe walked in front of him and revealed the magicite lodged in her chest.

"Hey! Bahamut! Down here!" she called to the mighty Wyrm.

It glared at her.

"This is where it ends, big boy! Here I am! Do what you've got to do. I am the Keeper of the Apocalypse! Kill me if you can!"

The mighty Wyrm almost chuckled to himself.

"Child of Vana'diel," it said. "You are not the Keeper."

Tenzen froze. Was everything he had discovered been a lie? But he was not the only one to have assumed Prishe had been the one, Esha'ntarl looked equally as shocked and begged Bahamut for answers.

"Children of Vana'diel spread out before me and Phoenix, I congratulate you on your efforts thus far, and though noble, there was no hope for you from the very beginning. The Keeper has existed for ten thousand years, locked away in the cursed city of Al'taieu. With the fifth crystal soon to fall Al'taieu will be dragged from the dimension it sits in and will fall on this world. When that occurs, the Keeper will be reborn and envelop all life. Promathia will use this event to gain control. That is why I exist and why I have been called; if all life is extinguished before the Keeper's revival then Promathia will not be brought to life."

Esha'ntarl looked down, "So that is the reason you chose genocide…"

Prishe shouted over them all again; declaring that if it was not her then they would simply go to Al'taieu and kill the Keeper sleeping there. Esha'ntarl joins in, saying that Selh'teus returned to stop the white city from falling on Vana'diel. Bahamut roared and silenced them all.

"Selh'teus…" the Wyrm King growled. "He does not possess the power to do what you claim. Children of Vana'diel; accept your fate. Embrace death to protect this world from unlimited darkness. Prepare yourselves for the end!"

Bahamut pulled its head round and then back, drawing in bright blue magical energy from all around. Tenzen leapt up towards the bridge of Sigma XIII and then round past Esha'ntarl, shouting at them to get away as fast as possible. He found a ladder and climbed to the top of the bridge and stood before the huge Wyrm as it prepared to burn the fleet of airships before it.

"Pheonix, Avatar of Rebirth, I beseech you to grant me your power!"

Revealing his katana from its sheath it lit into a glorious amber flame that burned brightly all around him and charred the wood beneath his feet. The flames grew larger than he had ever seen them and he felt power coursing through him unlike anything that had come before. As Bahamut threw his head forwards and unleashed a beam of pure destructive malevolence he raised his Great Katana above his head and then brought it downwards with enough force to break a mountain in two, sending a cascading ball of fire to meet the oncoming blast.

In the air between the Wyrm King and Sigma XIII the two blasts met, illuminating the sky over the Black Sea.

-

"…Feathers?"

Rost looked up as a handful of feathers fell towards the fifth crystal. He raised his hand to catch one and twirled it around in front of his face for a few moments. It was amber yet seemed unnatural; there was a deep magic glow about it. He looked over to Selh'teus who had done the same and within his mind heard him speak.

"Phoenix…will you now return to the Mother Crystal? You have bought us time…"

Selh'teus dropped to one knee and summoned the Emptiness up around him, preparing to draw the light from the final crystal. Now the way would truly be opened to the fallen Zilart capital city of Al'taieu.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTYONE: BEFORE THE FIFTH CRYSTAL

"You survived, Lord Tenzen," a voice said.

He did not turn to face the female voice; he had felt her approach some time ago. Seeking seclusion after what had transpired above the Black Sea would not deter a Ninja sent from his homeland in the Far East. He stood on the edge of a cliff on Qufim Island away from the sounds of the city. She had been shadowing him for some time; to the best of her abilities given that he had been in the company of many others so often. It did not surprise him that the Emperor of the Far East would have him watched despite his life long service.

"Does the Emptiness continue to spread?" he asked her.

"Yes, Lord Tenzen. Hakutei River was swallowed by it, opening up more avenues of attack for the bandit tribes. Raids have become an almost daily occurrence and the army is already spread too thin to stop them. The Empire's defences will soon fall to either the greed of the bandits or to the Emptiness itself."

Looking down at the blade by his side he sighed hopelessly.

"I have come before you now to request that you return with me. A Samurai as skilled as you may still turn back the tide. The Emperor will surely forgive that you used Phoenix's power…we can hunt down the bandits and restore her strength."

"…And if that isn't enough? Must more innocent blood be spent?"

The female Ninja was silent. A sacrifice was made to call Phoenix to them, to place her power inside the ancient katana on his side that pained him to even think about. The Emporer of his home land had entrusted this power to him to stop the Emptiness and save their world. But he had misused the stored power in reflecting Bahamut's attack and thus draining the katana of all strength. Was Phoenix dead? It was hard to be sure, but her voice had gone silent. But by definition, she was the Avatar of Rebirth, and could thus be called back again just as they had done in the first place. The price for such a miracle was a blood sacrifice.

He turned his head, "If the Phoenix cannot be called back, what then?"

"The Emperor's last resort will commence. What forces we have left will march on Jeuno and liberate control of the crystals from them to attempt to push back the Emptiness ourselves."

It was as he expected. Blame in his homeland was still placed on Jeuno and those within for misuse of the crystal's power. But waging war on the city would not solve anything, not anymore. As the full force of the fire of the Phoenix left his weapon he had heard her voice one last time. She had entrusted him with a final duty. He could hear the voices of every life lost and could not refuse them. To go back now would be unforgivable and as such he finally looked upon the Ninja and stated that he could not return home. He would do as he was asked and would secure the final crystal in one last effort to stop the Emptiness from spreading.

Following the joining of incredible potent collections of power in the skies over the Black Sea the battle with the Wyrms was temporarily averted. Phoenix had not killed Bahamut, but may have wounded him enough that he retreated once more into Riverne with the rest of his army. Alain watched Tenzen closely after the exchange; the Samurai seemed oblivious to what was going on around him and could only stare at his now dull blade. It seemed as though he had expended Phoenix herself to wound Bahamut and now she was gone.

Two more scout ships were lost in the resulting explosion and the tail end of the flagship was nearly ripped down the middle, but somehow had survived. Soldiers from the Thundaga unit leapt on board and helped clear out the last of the Mammets under Nag'molada's control before trying to save the flagship from falling into the sea. Alain and the others returned to the Highwind, which had also seen better days.

The return to Jeuno was a very subdued one. Many ships had been destroyed needlessly and even more lives had been lost. It looked like Sigma XIII would survive, but it certainly would not be repaired in time for Bahamut's next move. The Highwind had lost its only weapon and was now useless in an air battle too.

Seeking guidance from Esha'ntarl, Alain spoke into the linkpearl used by the fleet, much to the collective surprise of everyone. He asked her what she was planning on doing and how they could stop Nag'molada. Her response was riddled with despair as she stated they had no choice but to return to Jeuno to begin repairs and to regroup in case Bahamut attempts a surprise attack.

They now knew where Nag'molada would go though; he would seek out the crystal beneath Gustaberg somewhere inside the Moblin city of Movalpolos. Alain told Esha'ntarl to do what she had to and then said that they would pursue their enemy in the meantime. He could not tell if his friends were more surprised that he wanted to go after Nag'molada so soon or that he was finally taking the initiative; but it was clear that time had run out. The Gentleman Thief still stood at the wheel of the airship, so he ordered him to change their course and to head towards Bastok.

That had all transpired a short time ago. Now he sat in his room on board the Highwind sitting on his bed and staring at the wall, lost in thought. Catherine and Hanaa had gone past some time ago speaking about Prishe; from the sounds of it all her wounds had vanished, despite being in such a bad state when they found her. They would need her strength and she would no doubt still want revenge for Brute.

Without a knock or even announcing his presence, Nokum-Akkum strode in and clambered up onto the bed beside him, before looking in the direction he was staring and asking what exactly he was doing.

"I was just thinking," he said.

Nokum-Akkum squinted, "Thinking aboutaru the wall?"

"Eh…not exactly."

"You sounded like Gerdinus back there you know!" his Tarutaru friend grinned. "You were all bossy-wossy and stern. Oh, notaru the mean way Rostaru was… So we're going to Oldton, rightaru? I was thinking; remember waaaaayyyy back when we were saving thataru San d'Orian ambassador? We saw one of those black cloaked guys…"

Thinking back, Alain remembered it as well. They were going through the underground tunnels with Naji and some other musketeers when they saw what had to have been a Mammet fighting with a Bugbear. It had seen them and pointed out where the ambassador had fallen. Given how long ago that was; it was a Mammet under the control of the Archduke and his brother, not Nag'molada, but if the Fifth Crystal was somewhere in there then perhaps it was connected.

Nokum-Akkum continued, "So if the thingy-wing was there to find the crystal we're looking for…then all we need to do is go down the tunnel we saw it appear from, don'taru we?"

"…It worries me when you have good ideas," Alain replied.

"I'm a genius!"

Interrupting the beginning of what would have been yet another argument about Nokum-Akkum's infallible logic, they were both surprised to see Prishe at the door to his room.

"I need a word with you, Alain," she stated. "Make yourself scarce, pipsqueak. Go look up Ulmia's skirt or something."

With narrow eyes, Alain grabbed the tuft of hair at the back of Nokum-Akkum's head to stop him launching himself at Prishe and asked him to leave them in private. With a huff and crossed arms, he marched out and stuck his tongue out as he went. Once he was gone, she muttered that he reminded her of the Chebukkis.

Alain said, "So, what did you want to speak to me about?"

"Well it looks like you're the boss of this rabble, so it makes the most sense to talk to you. You've got a score to settle with that Elvaan Samurai helping Selh'teus, don't you? How about we make a deal; you make sure that you and your friends leave Nag'molada to me and you can have the Samurai to yourself."

Revenge was still the strongest emotion that he had seen driving Prishe, it seemed. She could certainly handle herself and she was in no danger of dying, so he had no problem with agreeing to her proposition. Out of all of them Nag'molada had hurt her the most and he welcomed the chance to fight Rost without interruptions. They shook hands and completed the deal.

"Oh, one more thing," Prishe said as she turned to leave. "I've got a couple of pieces of advice for you and you should respect your elders, so listen up! So what if you're a Zilart? What does that mean? It means nothing. You think all Humes are the same? Are all Mithra? Hell, look at the difference between Ulmia and her Grandfather or her and me. You're a lot stronger than normal Humes because of one of your parents; I'd count that as a gift, not a disability."

He looked at the floor, "…Thanks…"

"That was only one bit of advice. The other is to stop getting so shy around that White Mage friend of yours! You don't need a Whisper of the Soul to see what's going on there! If you've got the confidence to fight battles and lead people potentially to their death then you should damn well be able to tell a girl how you feel about them!"

Realizing at just that moment that Prishe was talking in her usual overly loud way, he became very embarrassed that anyone nearby would probably have heard her. Seemingly more than happy that the desired effect had been achieved, Prishe walked off leaving him alone once more. It was not the right time to think about those things, not with war hot on their heels. But after, after they had stopped Nag'molada and killed the real Keeper hidden beyond the Fifth Crystal, he would tell her.

A few hours had passed and the Highwind still flew through the air. Hanaa felt a little unsettled. The pilot area was freezing with the front window being smashed in and the upper deck was a mess with the remains of the front cannon and armoury strewn about it.A quick glance over the side had placed them close to Gustaberg. With the landing gear still fully functional they would not need to stop in Bastok so to save time they would probably land right outside one of the entrances into the Moblin city.

Despite being in or around Bastok more often than most places, Hanaa had never been into Oldton or even the higher up mines located around the mountain ranges connecting to the Highlands. The air in those types of places was too thick with dirt for someone with a sense of smell as sensitive as hers.

To her surprise (and his) she found Samuel wandering the middle deck, meaning the Gentleman Thief had to still be at the wheel. She loved the nervous way the young Hume got around her and played up to it by demanding to know why he was not flying the airship. He stuttered that he was taking a break and quickly made a get away.

"Attention crew and passengers," a polite voice said over the speaking tubes, "We shall soon be reaching our destination. May I suggest that you prepare yourself and make your way to the pilot area?"

She was the first to go back into the pilot area as she had already been carrying her weapon with her. It was still freezing; the wind billowing in through the smashed window made her tail stand on end. Catherine and the adorable Tarutaru couple appeared next with Samuel shortly after. Prishe, Ulmia, and Alain appeared last. She silently noted that Samuel had changed back into his Ranger gear and had a few pouches of bullets attached to his belt and a small bolt quiver on his leg.

The Gentleman Thief spoke loudly over the wind, "And so we stand prepared! We will land within ten minutes!"

It sounded like he was inviting himself along as well. She shiftily got closer to Samuel and frightened him by suddenly speaking near his ear; asking if he was planning on coming along with them. With a gulp he explained that he had spoken with Pops and was going no matter what.

They eventually landed not far from the entrance to Port Bastok. Scouts and sentries will probably have seen them, but the city would most likely be in lock down given the danger posed by Bahamut. One-by-one they descended the rope ladder from the middle deck of the airship down to the gravely hills of North Gustaberg. Pops would be on his own but there was little danger in the area and if anything did happen he could simply take off to avoid it.

The nearest entrance into Oldton Movalpolos with less than a five minute jog up the dirt mound they had landed beside. The tunnel entrance was mined straight into the mountain base by the Goblins, Moblins, and Bugbears living within. As they neared it they could hear eerie sounds echoing from within.

"…Sounds like battle cries," Samuel said as he got closest to the cave.

"The Moblin and Goblin population sometimes have arguments with their Bugbear comrades that result in battles, but this sounds different," the Gentleman Thief commented. "Those howls are filled with rage…and listen, a siren of some kind – a warning to the whole city. Wait…something else, above?"

They all looked up and sure enough an airship passed by overhead. It was a small and slightly damaged scout class airship that seemed to slow and turn as if it had seen them. Hanaa reached for her rapier but did not draw it just yet; they would need to wait and see whether it was friend or foe on board.

Samuel almost fell as he pushed back through them to look, "What if it attacks the Highwind?! No one is there to protect it!"

Prishe put her hands on her hips, "Don't be such a whiney baby. Your airship is fine."

The scout ship hovered over the ground and a rope was tossed over the side. Tenzen appeared and leapt down the ground before moving towards them. The airship then took to the skies once more and seemed to take up a circular pattern overhead. He reached them and did not speak a greeting of any kind.

"Tenzen, what are you doing here?" Alain asked on behalf of them all.

The Hume Samurai seemed colder than before, "To see for myself… The crystal is inside this mine, correct? Lead on and I will follow."

Hanaa did not like the change in the air about the Samurai, he even smelt different. They had already guessed that Phoenix had gone and it looked as though losing the Avatar's power had pained him. Perhaps he was now after revenge just as Prishe was and they could use another blade even if it no longer had the power of an Avatar trapped inside it.

Once inside Oldton they were shocked to find an ongoing battle between the native inhabitants and creatures they had come to know as Emptiness incarnate. Were they too late? Everyone was thinking it but no one said it. If the Emptiness was spreading through all of the Movalpolos then the crystal had to be already lost. Despite this, Alain told them all to push on at speed and fight what was needed.

They ran as fast as they could, on and on through the winding underground tunnels. Unfortunately, in their frenzied state, the inhabitants of the mines treated them with the same contempt that the Emptiness creatures were facing and they had no choice but to stop and defend themselves from large numbers of Moblins and Bugbears. Prishe took point, launching enemies off the edge of the wooden walkways as she ran, making the rest of them look bad. Even her fast cast magics could not keep up with the little immortal.

"Stone!" she shouted as they all ran through another passage dug straight into pure rock.

From her hand a boulder of stone was formed that she threw into the roof, bringing down a small pile of rubble to block the way they had come. With the Emptiness and Moblins after them it would serve them better to temporarily cut off the way back (at least she thought so).

Both Alain and Nokum-Akkum exclaimed that they were getting close, but she had no idea how either of them could possibly know that. By now they were very deep inside the Moblin city but it all looked the same to her. The smell was getting worse too; there was an ever present burnt smell that reminded her of Ifrit's Cauldron. No doubt this was from the many furnaces the Moblins built to provide heat and power to the city.

"I can feel it," Prishe said as they went down another long passage. "It's here…"

Alain skidded to a stop at the end of tunnel, almost resulting in Samuel knocking him over as he ran straight into his back. A deep red glow filled a huge room that had once been perfect white marble, though now it had grown dark and blotches of black littered the corners. They had found what was left of the Fifth Crystal's chamber, but the Emptiness was already there. The healthy inspiring glow of the crystal was replaced with a strange incandescence, no doubt a result of the light of this last crystal being stolen.

"So cold…" Ulmia whispered. "Is this truly one of the legendary Mother Crystals?"

"_This crystal is not part of Vana'diel_," a voice said inside them all.

Instantly before them, Selh'teus appeared.

"_The link to this crystal was cut long ago. It sunk with Al'taieu, but with the curse now placed upon that city it found its way deep underground. But the connection was never truly severed as the city still exists in one way or another. When the Zilart reactivated the Crystal Line energy was stolen from all the crystals, destabilizing Al'taieu further and drawing it back into this dimension._"

Tenzen walked forwards, "So it is true. Phoenix knew your goal all along and only shared it with me at the last moment. You truly do seek to prevent Al'taieu returning to this world and the resurrection of the Twilight God. You were never the enemy…"

Alain caught sight of movement by the base of the crystal. Rost appeared and stood in silence next to Selh'teus, with a silent look of satisfaction on his face. What was going on? Sure, Nag'molada had turned on them but Selh'teus had still remained their enemy regardless. They had believed he was spreading the Emptiness to consume the world, yet Tenzen seemed to think otherwise now.

"_I embraced the darkness to return_," Selh'teus said inside their minds. "_It was the only way. I used the Emptiness to steal the light from the four healthy crystals in order to stabilize this one and restore its power. Only then will Al'taieu's fall be prevented and this world saved. But I am a child of darkness, that is my sin, and so I could not hold the light myself. I needed a special soul who could be the Bearer of the Light. I needed you, Alain."_

His mind flashed back to his first meeting with Selh'teus within the hospital in Upper Jeuno and the pendant he had received that had awoken his Whisper of the Soul. It had allowed him to react to the crags around the world and to resonate with the crystals. Selh'teus had a connection with him through the pendant every step of the way and had been feeding the stolen light to him through it. That is what Rost had meant and why they could not finish their battle; as his purpose as Bearer of the Light took precedence over their roles as Emissaries. Or was there more? Maybe Selh'teus had chosen him solely because he was the Emissary of the Dawn.

Rost crossed his arms, "Figured it out, have you?"

"Phoenix referred to you as Light Bearer, Alain," Tenzen said, subdued.

Catherine moved closer to him and begged them to explain what was going on. Tenzen explained that it was the duty of the one chosen to receive the light to give it up before the Fifth Crystal in order to prevent the Apocalypse. He glared at Rost and was surprised that the Elvaan looked away. What were they saying?

"_Thank you, Alain. You bore a heavy weight and it is for the good of all Vana'diel, the Mother Crystals, and the people of this world. I will send you on your way now. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten_."

He had no time to react. Selh'teus hand was raised towards him and the same agony that struck him at the Fourth Crystal began anew. He fell to the ground as a powerful white glow surrounded him, knocking Catherine away from him. The pain was unlike before, it was even stronger, and he could not help but scream. His friends ran towards him, but could not get near as the white light struck out at them like it was alive.

"Like hell I'll let you get away with that!"

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Prishe looking down at him. The white energy ripped into her arm but she did not pull back and seemed unphased. She moved fully in front of him as she had down before but this time did not use her own pendant. She struck forwards with her fist and caught Selh'teus in the cheek, throwing him into Rost and sending them both to the floor. Tenzen was reaching for his sword but relented as she turned and stood ready to fight in defiance. Soon Catherine and all the others were there as well, forming a circle around him to fend off all Rost, Tenzen, and Selh'teus.

"Why can't you all see sense?!" Tenzen suddenly shouted. "Alain must sacrifice his life so the light stored in him can be used to save the world! It is for the greater good! We must!"

"No!" Prishe shouted back. "That's too high a price. If anyone is sacrificing themselves then it should be someone like me or Selh'teus. We're long overdue to die anyway! And you, Tenzen, how can you possibly believe that what Phoenix, the Avatar of Rebirth, said to you meant you would have to kill an innocent life? There's another option open to us here!"

Selh'teus got to his feet, "_What do you mean_?"

"You already took some of the light back, didn't you, from when we met you at the last crystal? Give it back to him! Flood all the light into him and make him stronger! Open the way to Al'taieu and I'll fight by his side to destroy the Keeper lurking down there."

The ten thousand year old boy was lost in thought, considering what Prishe was proposing. The immortal Elvaan girl left his side and walked towards the boy, outstretching her hand in friendship. With a little hesitation, Selh'teus stretched out his pale arm.

They both turned in time, but not fast enough to dodge. A ball of white energy struck into them both launching them into everyone standing around him. They all fell to the floor. From beside the crystal a manic laugh echoed out as Nag'molada appeared, holding a familiar pendant in his hand. Alain reached for his scythe as everyone else recovered.

"Yes, let's see the way to the old city open up," Nag'molada grinned.

He charged forwards with Tenzen and Nokum-Akkum at his side. From around Nag'molada a purple aura seemed to grow as he beckoned them to attack. Tenzen swiped nothing but air as their target seemed to instantly move alongside. Nokum-Akkum leapt into the air, but crashed into only the ground before being kicked in the side. Tenzen attacked again but was knocked to the floor. Alain swung his scythe and missed completely, unable to keep up with the speed of the enemy. The draining effects of what Selh'teus had tried to do to him were still debilitating him. A fist to the side of the face knocked him over and then another into his gut stuck him to the spot as he was winded. He saw Nag'molada's gleeful face enjoying every moment of his torment.

"Tachi: Kagero!"

Rost struck into the ground around them with a fiery blast, breaking it apart and causing Nag'molada to stumble. Nokum-Akkum threw and axe, but it was deflected by protective magic. Tenzen found his target in his moment of weakness and caught the Kuluu's arm as he past. Alain tried to get up but could not. Nag'molada vanished and reappeared hovering in the air above them all and held out the blue pendant.

"Enough fun," he stated coldly. "I will steal the light from you all and use it myself!"

Selh'teus moved instantly from where he had fallen to in front of the crystal. He outstretched his arm as black magic was drawn to it and then touched the Fifth Crystal. In order to stop Nag'molada he had done the only thing he could; drain the final crystal and open the way to the Zilart city as they had all wanted. A blinding white light consumed them all.

In a timeless state following the explosion they were all granted a vision of fleeting memories of the past. A group of cloaked individuals stand around a man known to them all as Archduke Kam'lanaut. Of those stood listening to his words another is recognisable; Esha'ntarl.

"It all begins with a stone. In ages past five crystals existed as one enormous jewel that bathed the world in holy light. This mythical light banished the Emptiness and brought fourth mighty Gods. These Gods cultivated their power and concentrated their energy. They created a balance between eight elements and a harmony for the myriad of senses of the world within. And so the eternal paradise blessed them in all ways."

Another room greeted them. Eald'narche stands before Selh'teus.

"But paradise did not last forever. The enormous jewel was split into five parts and this perfect realm was degraded into an incomplete world. We were reduced from the superior life forms of the high plains into these flawed and insignificant forms. Thus we must gather and focus the energy of the crystals into opening a gate into the lost dimension. We are both well aware of this predicament and yet there is one thing I cannot understand. How did this tragedy occur in the first place? Why was the original stone shattered into five pieces? Who is responsible for this incomprehensible act?"

The vision changes yet again. In a room with green crystals mounted on the walls the Crystal Warriors strike out at them as if fending off something growing within. Watching their struggle is the Dawn Maiden Yve'noile.

"The people of this world evolved into five unique species, each harbouring a distinctive darkness. Crystal Warriors; thou wert created to destroy those evils. Yet even your strength cannot prevail against this darkness. Emptiness is the ever present shadow of the blessed light. If this phenomenon represents complete death, then one could surely argue that its presence was inevitable in a complete world."

She pauses and turns away.

"Is that not so, great Goddess Altana?"


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTYTWO: PURPOSE

The sensation of travelling was fleeting and soon a cold floor graced Alain's back. He opened his eyes to a strange sky; pale red mixed with light blue. The air was heavy with magic, but unlike any he had felt before. A sound seemed to carry itself on a light breeze; it was almost like someone was humming a tune to themselves. The tranquillity almost made him forget what was happening and those few seconds spurred him on.

Jumping straight up onto his feet, he tripped backwards upon seeing a steep drop before him and fell onto his backside. Looking all around he found he was hovering above the ground somehow; like there was a near transparent platform between him and a pale white land a meter or so below. But it was not just below him; all around him seemed to be covered with the same layer leaving bushes cut and trees half submerged. The area below the shimmering floor he stood on almost seemed to move, like it was filled with water.

Nearby were some white platforms build into the pale land and in the distance was a huge white spire. Circling the top of the large building was a circle of dark blue clouds that seemed to be drawn in from all around. Previous visions granted to him by Selh'teus were made real; they truly had been drawn into what remained of the Zilart city of Al'taieu.

"What a beautiful place," Catherine said by his side, startling him slightly.

Nokum-Akkum appeared next to his leg, "It smells weird here."

He looked around and saw nearly everyone around him. Nag'molada was missing and so was Selh'teus, but one who was not and who he focused his attention on instantly was Rost. Finding his scythe nearby, he picked it up and strode towards the Elvaan Samurai, who lazily glanced at his approach out the corner of one eye, before returning to brushing himself down. Alain held his scythe forward, soliciting a response.

"You truly do think only with a one track mind."

Alain ignored the remark, "Did you know from the start?"

"Know what?"

"What Selh'teus was doing!"

Rost stood tall above him and smirked, "Would the Emissary of the Dusk wilfully assist in defeating the Dusk God? I wonder. No, I did not know. I knew he was one with the Emptiness and so I assumed he too was tasked with helping to resurrect Promathia. Only after seeing his dreams and hearing his thoughts did I see the truth of it all."

Alain could not help but be angry, just being in Rost's presence was enough but his arrogance had still not changed. Obviously hearing his thoughts, Prishe jumped in and pointed out that even after learning that Selh'teus was in fact trying to save Vana'diel Rost did continue to assist him. In light of this Alain demanded to know why and whose side he considered himself to be on. Rost was silent. Alain raised his scythe to the Elvaan's neck and reiterated the question.

"I told you once before that what I wanted was a purpose," he finally said. "I do not care if that purpose is to protect or destroy this world. I spoke with Selh'teus at length and decided that his was the path I would follow, whether I was meant to or not. I learned…many things."

It felt like having a traitor with them all over again, but Alain could tell that he was the one looking like the bad guy at that moment and not Rost. He lowered his scythe and walked away. Prishe spoke in her usual loud tone telling everyone to get there things together and to make for the white building in the distance as it would most likely be their enemies destination. To his surprise, Rost caught up with him as he walked.

"Strange, isn't it?" he asked in an obviously rhetorical manner. "The bearer of the light is both a Dark Knight and a half-blood Zilart. Not only that, but you were chosen by Altana to be her champion, to face me in a battle to the death."

Alain scowled, "What are you trying to say, Rost?"

"It is something I have thought long about since we first learned our roles. Yes, we are to fight as emissaries of two rival Gods, but why? What is the reason of it? Is there even a reason? Not knowing these answers is what swayed me from following what I believed my purpose to be. Despite that I still believe that we will battle and that it will be soon."

There was a strange softness behind his words that Alain had never heard before. This was not the arrogant Samurai he had come to loathe since first meeting during the war. But this was not comforting and experience with the Gentleman Thief had taught him not to believe such performances. The hatred he felt for Rost was returned in kind, he knew it deep down, yet this sudden change troubled him.

"Does a reason matter?" Alain asked as rhetorically in turn.

Rost smirked once more, "To you, perhaps not. Though I would be curious to know one thing from you honestly; what drives your hatred for me? What drives it so strong that even if we were not in this position you would want to kill me? Think well before answering."

Who was he to order him to think about anything? That alone was one of the reasons he hated him so much. He could read a list off of all the things about Rost that he despised. During the war they came to blows over what to do after being separated from their unit, during their search for the Prayer Stones he had given him unwanted protection, and in Tu'lia he had struck Catherine.

"I don't have to answer anything," he stated sternly. "You attacked Catherine, you lured me into fighting you, and you sided with the Zilart and Promathia! Those reasons alone are enough for you to deserve what is going to happen."

Rost stopped moving, prompting him to do the same and turn in case of an attack.

"You remember things in a convenient way, Alain," the Samurai said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"I did many bad things back then and striking someone who I consider a sister was one of them. But I was not of sound mind; I was misled by the Zilart after losing my faith in the teachings I have learned since birth, I was consumed by hatred. But as I said to you back then; it grew into an artificial hatred."

Everyone had silently gathered.

"Though I fought you, I did it only to bring out your strength so that you could do what I couldn't; stop Eald'narche. Do you not remember what I said to you? I was granted a vision by the Dawn Maidens and I foresaw Selh'teus' return. Our journey to the Mother Crystal was meant only to bring him back to our world. I saw that as my purpose and then to assist him in whatever he did for better or worse."

Alain was still furious, "Don't lie! You just said it yourself; you followed Selh'teus because you thought he was doing Promathia's bidding just like you! You're pathetic, Rost. I don't know why you're trying to hide behind excuses now of all times, but it won't work! Not this time!"

Rost's expression did not change, "As I said; I did go on believing that and let the hatred grow. Even now I can feel it tugging at me as you no doubt can. The only thing that now stops me battling you once more is the questions I must have answered. If I am to be a puppet for a God then so be it, but I must know why. You, on the other hand, seem to have disregarded the why altogether. Only hate remains for me and where this might lead only troubles me more…"

Rost moved ahead of everyone else, stating that he would scout ahead and await them at the largest white building. Thankfully no one tried to stop him leave, though Alain was worried that his ruse was solely so he could leave them without a fight breaking out.

He could feel everyone's eyes on him. It was like they were accusing him of being the bad guy and that somehow Rost did not deserve to be spoken to like that. But they were wrong. They did not understand the connection formed between them on that day they first fought in Xarcabard. It was true that he did not care why they had been chosen anymore; all he wanted was to kill him. Catherine touched his shoulder and began to speak, but he pulled away.

-

Hanaa was watching things very closely and so, it seems, was the Gentleman Thief. He had pretended to be concerned with helping Samuel collect his weaponry, but he had been carefully studying what was happening and this had caught her attention during the argument. It may just have been a natural thing for someone trained to be aware of their surroundings, but still seemed a little odd.

Alain's reaction to Rost and then how he had treated Catherine had shocked her and most likely everyone else. Catherine now walked silently holding her hands to her chest beside Nokum-Akkum and Renene a short distance ahead. Alain was just visible at the front of the pack with Ulmia and Prishe close behind. The Gentleman Thief, Samuel, and Tenzen all walked with her.

Something was wrong and had been wrong for a while. It was only a small change at first, but now it seemed to have grown even more. Alain had become more of a leader; but really what they meant to her was that he had started being more assertive even if he was not aware of it. His point was put across stronger than before and even if he was unsure on the inside he tried to hide it outside. But there was also the anger and the dark powers he could draw on. Though she would not say it aloud; she had never felt more uncomfortable around Alain than at that moment.

She could only see the side of Catherine's face, she had almost retreated inside the hood of her robes, but she was sure that there were tears forming. It was not just because Alain had shunned her for whatever reason it could not be, it was that she saw the change just as clearly. Something in Al'taieu had stirred Alain's feelings but why that was she could not guess.

"Eh, there's a red floating thing coming this way," Samuel announced.

A short distance away a bizarre creature floating a small distance off the ground was coming towards them at a steady pace. It was a glowing light red aquatic beast of some kind the likes of which none of them had ever seen. It might have been a fish; had it not seemed at home in the air. Though it headed for them it certainly was not charging and almost seemed like it was simply curious. In the far distance to the east another was just about visible, but it had not spotted them. Samuel raised his gun to fire but she tugged it down with her hand.

"Hang on," she stated," it looks harrrmless."

The fish creature happily hovered around them all, going in and out and occasionally stopping to peer about. Sure enough it did not seem to want to attack, despite that they were interlopers in the strange place.

As the fish reached Alain he turned only half around and dropped the top of his scythe through the top of its head. It was soft like jelly and cut straight through, sending the creature to the ground with a pained groan. Righting his scythe on his back, he called to them to hurry up. While everyone else moved off, Hanaa stayed and looked at the monster's corpse before her. It was harmless, so why did Alain kill it? If anyone else was as shocked as her it was not obvious as no one had said anything.

"…This isn't rrright," she said to no one. "I don't like this…"

The white building grew larger as they approached and it soon became obvious that the only way into it was along a lengthy thin walkway crafted of the same white marble as every other artificial building littering the strange landscape. Along the length of it were the bodies of more strange creatures that had either been killed by Rost or Nag'molada.

The strangest looking bodies looked almost like people. They were pure white but with clear arms and legs. Two small wings at their backs suggested that like the fish creature they could fly. They seemed like angels to Hanaa, which made it all the more disturbing to see their dismembered corpses along the walkway and purple blood leaking around her feet. At the end of the walkway four more bodies were in a heap and a grand door into the base of the white central building was in pieces. One by one they walked in.

Inside they were greeted by a large white hall with thick pillars lining each side and a huge untouched glowing door at the far end. Rost appeared from behind a pillar and pointed off to one side; revealing another smashed open door. Prishe asked why Nag'molada had not just kept going deeper into the building instead of off to the side rooms somewhere.

"I suspect that his first goal is not to find where the Keeper awaits, but rather the Chamber of Eventide," Rost said to them all. "That would make this place Ru'Hmet, the main area of the Zilart city, and beyond that glowing door at the far end would be the palace of Hu'Xzoi."

Alain ordered them all to follow the path of destruction to find Nag'molada and the Chamber of Eventide before it was too late and swiftly disappeared beyond the broken door. Everyone followed on, but then she noticed that both Catherine and Rost were not following. With a quick cast of the appropriate spells, she snuck back through the broken door and found them behind one of the pillars.

"I must speak with you…" Catherine whispered through her hands.

Rost nodded, "You see it too? The change in him has been more drastic than I had anticipated. It is this place that has spurred it on. Even I feel it already eating at me, the Chains of Promathia tug tightly."

Hanaa edged even closer, nearly holding her breath.

"What's happening to Alain? Please tell me…"

"I think that he is the catalyst for the Keeper of the Apocalypse."

Catherine was filled with fear, "You can't be…but, no, that can't be true!"

"It is far easier to assume that I am the one, isn't it? Almost too easy, you might say. I have been used like any other puppet, but the strings driving my actions number far more than I had once thought. I do not believe that Altana has chosen an emissary or a champion of any sort. Alain and I are both puppets to Promathia. I am his catalyst and in turn he is the Keeper's."

Hanaa was just as shocked as Catherine but held herself back. Catherine protested and could not understand his reasoning. Neither could she; Selh'teus himself had called Alain the Bearer of the Light. Had Selh'teus first plan gone through to the end Alain would have died to save Vana'diel.

_No, wait…_

She recalled a warning from the avatars that all their actions were being driven by Promathia. They were all caught up in the chains from the moment of birth thanks to the taints on their respective races. They had all intervened to protect Alain, so that he could go to Al'taieu.

"Would it not be the most glorious of ironies…?" Rost said solemnly, "…If our chains had been tugged in such a way, that we made sure that the one chosen by Selh'teus to save the world as the Bearer of the Light, was brought to this place in order to bring about the end?"

The plan had always been that they would let the Keeper ascend so that they could defeat Promathia in physical form before Al'taieu was drawn back into Vana'diel's dimension, but if Rost's theory was correct that would mean it would be Alain who would still end up sacrificed and that the body of the God would be imbued with not only the strength of a Zilart but the light collected from all the other crystals.

Catherine continued to weep, "What can we do?"

"Whether we stop Nag'molada or not at the Chamber of Eventide, Alain will want to break through that glowing door and too reach the Keeper. We must not let that happen."

"But the Keeper must transform if we are too stop him completely…"

"I will offer myself up in his place. Do not worry; once Promathia has been called into my body, joined with the Keeper and has been defeated the calling which drives Alain should vanish as will his hatred."

"…And what about you? You would sacrifice yourself?"

Rost gave a small smile and almost shrugged. It was the most humble that Hanaa had ever seen him, yet she did not doubt his sincerity. He truly seemed to believe that it had been Promathia's goal all along to get Alain imbued with the power of the light and then to bring him to Al'taieu to join with the sleeping Keeper. But if that was a fact then it meant she was as much to blame and was just as susceptible to the hidden influences of the Chains of Promathia.

Though things looked dark and she wished for time to consider what to do, both Catherine and Rost were walking towards her and she could not be seen to arrive after them. With a quick hop over the rubble where a door had once been she made off down the white hall as fast as her legs would carry her.

-

Before an ancient console crafter from powerful magic created by the Zilart, Nag'molada read off line after line of data collected over ten thousand years since the white city was lost from Vana'diel. Before him was a large coffin shaped obelisk known as the Chamber of Eventide in the shadow of a wall filled with darkened crystals. He sought information on how to open it and how to receive the gifts of immortality and his restored Whisper of the Soul. At last he had searched back long enough to find the information he wanted, but paused in pulled back in horror.

"Why?!" he screamed out loud. "Why would _she_ be in the chamber?"

The read out before him was not incorrect. The chamber before him was occupied and by someone he never thought possible. Within was Yve'noile. His mind raced with theories and ideas but he could reach no other conclusion than that the Dawn Maidens had succumbed to the Emptiness. If that were true then Altana truly had forsaken them all.

"No, Nag'molada. Lady Yve'noile has become an instrument of Altana's will."

He twisted around in a rage, but was taken back by what confronted him. Selh'teus, now changed, floated above the ground. From his back had sprouted two huge wings; one a fiery amber and the other a tainted white. An aura of power surrounded him that was unlike anything he had ever seen. At the far end of the room behind his former friend he saw the half-blood Zilart and his cohorts arrive and all stare in equal disbelief at the changed boy.

"The Keeper that sleeps within the palace was reborn ten thousand years ago. A being of pure hatred, it fed off the emotions of the Kuluu to grow strong. Knowing of the danger and the futility of simply killing it, Yve'noile sought to send it into oblivion along with herself."

"No!" he roared back. "She did not deserve such a fate! Not one as pure as her! Why did you let her do this?! She built this chamber out of love and now it is her tomb!"

Selh'teus replied, "Her love for the world and everything in it spurred her to act in this way. She placed herself in the chamber and absorbed the Emptiness from this place to hold it in a timeless state. But what good she did, what time she bought, has now come to an end. For these people who have come to face the reincarnation of Promathia their darkness must be washed away by blessed light, or else they will falter."

Nag'molada smashed his hand off the console before him and stared at the chamber with burning intent. Yve'noile was trapped inside and locked deeper still inside an endless slumber. Her soul would never depart from that place; it would never find the Mother Crystals.

"Leave me, all of you!" he shouted. "I must take her body to the Ou'hapt Obelisk."

Prishe stepped forwards, "You and I have a score to settle, but I won't stop you sending that woman on her way. We've got bigger fish to fry anyway, if Selh'teus is right about the Keeper already being reborn. Let's go find our light and defeat that incarnation of Promathia!"

Selh'teus vanished instantly, leaving only a single feather which dropped to the ground. Everyone else left soon after, leaving him gazing at the chamber alone. He dropped to his knees and in his fury slammed his fist into the ground. He whispered a prayer to Yve'noile, praising her last act of kindness for the children of the light. It was more than they deserved. If his whisper had still been intact he could have connected to her and said his piece that way, but being a Kuluu he remained incomplete. He walked to where the feather had fallen and picked it up.

"What have I done to deserve this life?" he asked out loud. "Why does the betrayer Selh'teus ascend even further yet I remain like this? My path has been true, I sought only the truth and to have my soul cleaned. No, the error wasn't mine. It was this world's. This incomplete broken world that has now claimed you Yve'noile, it is to blame. This world exists for the sake of imperfection…"

He looked to the way he had come and where everyone else has disappeared to. There was no time to move Yve'noile, not when the Keeper was still sleeping beyond the door of the grand palace.

-

Catherine ran alongside Rost, doing her best to keep up with him. She asked if Alain was still a danger to them all if the Keeper had already been resurrected and was awaiting the capital to descend on Vana'diel as Selh'teus had guessed. The Samurai did not stop moving, but said in reply that although that was most likely the case, it was likely that the reborn Promathia would still seek strength from any and all assets, using the chains binding all their hearts as leverage.

Back in the first chamber they had arrived in they gathered before a great door emitting a huge amount of magical pressure. Catherine felt the side of her head as she was sure she heard something. It was a strange feeling that seemed to grow with each step towards the door. Everyone else was looking around; they had felt the same thing she had.

Rost looked shocked, "This is it, the chains stir! Promathia is trying to lure us and without seeking out the cleansing light that Selh'teus spoke of we cannot face him yet! Retreat from the door!"

They all moved back a short distance, but Catherine could still hear a calling inside her head that refused to stop. She backed away further and hit into one of the white pillars. Clutching it for support she continued to hold her head and fight off the voice speaking to her of what lay beyond the door. Looking to her side she saw Samuel gazing at the door with an open mouth.

"Mother…?" he whispered. "Hold on!"

Samuel darted forwards, but was interrupted as the Gentleman Thief side stepped in front of him and struck him in the gut. Samuel dropped into him as his legs gave way, but was soon fighting against the old Elvaan's grip.

"Get off me! She's through there! She needs my help!"

The Gentleman Thief turned to her, "My dear, could you…"

"Repose…"

With a wave of her hand and the magic word spoken a cloud of white mist struck into Samuel, knocking him into an artificial slumber. The Gentleman Thief went down on one knee and laid the young Hume flat on the floor, before gripping his head and shaking it. She heard Nokum-Akkum moaning and doing the same. Prishe swore out loud and grabbed Ulmia as she suddenly darted towards it just as Samuel had. Hanaa quickly put the Bard to sleep, but then looked longingly towards the door.

"The voice won't stop," she hissed. "It's telling me that my home is there…"

"To me it promises a path of righteousness," Tenzen said with a wince.

Prishe smirked, "It promises me an end."

A glow above them drew everyone's attention. Selh'teus descended with a flap of his wings and addressed them all. He said that the voice they heard was the Emptiness in each of them connecting to the Keeper. There was no escape from such a voice as it was not coming from the door or even what waited beyond it; it was coming from within them. He stated that there was no time to seek out the light and that only those strong willed enough to fight off the temptations offered could carry on and, even then, they would have to act quickly before they are consumed by desire. Catherine wanted to go on, but instantly knew that her resolve was not strong enough, not against what was being promised to her.

"Those of you, who cannot go on, seek refuge within the gift from Carbuncle!"

They all looked at Renene, who seemed as confused as them. Selh'teus pointed to the multicoloured orb she had been given and placed at the end of her staff. With a snap of his fingers, Selh'teus caused a shell every colour of the rainbow to expand from the tip of the staff, surrounding Renene and Nokum-Akkum straight away. The winged boy told them not to panic and explained that within the rainbow shell the last of Carbuncle's power would subdue the Emptiness inside them as long as they stayed within its limits.

Catherine hobbled over to the shell holding her head as she went and nearly collapsed into it. There was immediate relief the second she had passed through. The Gentleman Thief carried Samuel over and entered while Prishe brought Ulmia. Hanaa reluctantly walked inside the shell with a look of anger on her face that she could not stand the voice. From within the shell they looked out at Prishe, Alain, Tenzen, Rost, and Selh'teus.

It was up to them now.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: DEATH AND REBIRTH

Selh'teus had gone on ahead and had subsequently vanished somewhere. Rost guessed that the boy had gone in search of a way to manually release whatever state the Keeper was in without actually bringing it fully around, thus making it easier on them. If, somehow, the Keeper had already been reborn then it raised many questions. There was no one left in the white city who could have acted as the vessel for the Emptiness, unless it had happened over ten thousand years ago. If it had happened so long ago, it did not explain the long wait before the Emptiness spread or why the Keeper had not acted itself since.

Beyond a small corridor they reached a large room. As they entered, the Hume Samurai collapsed against the wall holding his forehead. It was obvious that the calling inside him was far too strong and was beginning to gain control. Rost could feel it too, eating away at his deep seated hatred, but for now he could resist at least a while longer.

"It is relentless…" Tenzen panted. "I cannot…without Phoenix my resolve is not strong enough to go on further. This voice promises me a righteous path and although I know it to be a lie I cannot ignore it, go on without me before I hinder you all. I will retreat to the others…forgive me."

Walking in a stagger back the way they had came, Tenzen vanished. Prishe asked how the rest of them were doing and Rost reported that he could bear it. Alain, who stood in front, twisted his head slightly and said similar.

Rost left one hand near the hilt of his katana as they walked on. Alain was not acting his usual self and there was stillness in the air that tugged at his senses. If the Keeper were truly already reborn it would not need to seek out another, yet it still might to call both Alain and he in order to grow even stronger. The situation would fast turn dangerous were Alain to fully succumb, as he would not be able to fight back with his full strength without relying on the power granted by Promathia and in doing that might hand his conscious over willingly.

A second thin white marbled passage opened into a grand hall, most likely the centre of the old palace. The three stood in awe of a mammoth creature at the far end of the room. It hung from the ceiling before a blue jewelled wall and seemed to be wrapped in hundreds of pure black chains. This was the form the Keeper had taken and the form in which Promathia had already supposedly been reborn. Yet the chains held it tightly in place and there were no signs of life.

A realization came over Rost at that moment. This was the depths of Yve'noile's sacrifice. The black chains holding the Keeper were a direct result of her actions; her true last gift was to imprison the Keeper. She could not have killed it as the Emptiness would simply have been reborn in another host, thus she caught it and held it. Had the city not been drained of all light and begun to fall back into the same dimension as Vana'diel, it would have been enough to protect from the apocalypse for all time, but now things had changed.

"So this is the Keeper, huh?" Prishe said and then whistled.

Alain had remained silent, but began walking towards the beast held by the chains before them. Equally as silent, Rost drew his weapon and readied it before him. Now was the moment of truth; this was when he would see what Alain's true purpose was. Prishe looked at him with bemusement, before following his gaze to Alain continuing to move forward.

"Hang on, Alain. Let's wait for Selh'teus."

There was no reply and still he walked forwards.

Rost scowled, "He was not strong enough in the end. Listen to me, girl. Alain has been ensnared by Promathia. We must stop him before he frees it and adds to its power!"

The immortal girl ran forwards and in front of Alain. A look of shock appeared on her face as she looked on, perhaps realizing that he was right. Reluctantly, she pulled a fist back, before striking Alain across the face and flooring him with such force he skidded along the ground before coming to a stop. Prishe cursed to herself as she looked on, saying she had no choice but to knock him out. Rost looked over to Alain and knew that he was still conscious.

He darted forwards from the floor drawing his scythe as he went. Prishe had turned and was looking at the Keeper. Rost made it just in time, meeting the scythe mid-swing and holding it in the air from the side between them as best he could at such a bad angle. Prishe turned and was stunned in disbelief. Rost gritted his teeth as the pressure bearing down from the scythe grew.

"Guillotine," Alain said without emotion.

The tip of his scythe glowed purple and green as powerful energies burst around it, knocking Rost's blade away. Prishe swung in to punch but was caught by the side of the scythe and, in circular burst of the dark energy, was sent flying into one of the walls. The second strike of the scythe hit only the ground, ripping into it and sending rubble in all directions. The third headed his way and his great katana bore the brunt, be he could not defend against the powerful strike fully and was thrown to the opposite side of the room from Prishe. The energy in the scythe dissipated before the fourth strike of the skill could be completed, but the two that had found the mark had done enough.

Alain stood in the centre of the room amongst the upturned dust from the destroyed ground around him with his scythe hanging in one hand. From where Rost had fallen he could not see Prishe; it was unlikely she was seriously wounded and the strike could not have killed her, but if she was lost under the rubble it would take her some time to get free and he could not help her.

Thinking back to when they had fought within Diabolos' dream world, Rost paused before trying once more to stop Alain. He was fighting against the combined strength of a fully realized Dark Knight, a half Zilart, and the Bearer of the Light. His skills as a Samurai would never surpass such odds no matter what tactics he could try to employ. The strength granted by Promathia that had made him stronger and given him access to Black Magic could not be used either else he would end up the same as Alain. All he could trust in was the strength of the black and gold Saotome armour of the Hydra Corps, granted by his blade Amanomurakumo.

"Alain!" he called out as he got to his feet and summoned the full power of his katana and the legendary armour. "You cannot be so lost by the promises of Promathia that you will refuse to battle me! Come and let us finish this as the puppets we were meant to be!"

The Abyss armour formed around Alain as his scythe became the form of Apocalypse. Without a single word he then charged at him, leaping into the air as he went and gathering yet more power into the blade of the golden scythe. The cumbersome slow speed had been replaced by astonishingly quick movements, giving him little time to react.

"Spiral Hell."

A purple streak followed the scythe down as the curved end met with Amanomurakumo as Rost swung it upwards in defence. Around him on the ground a black circular symbol appeared filled with magic symbols. The scythe applied even more pressure downwards as the circle around shattered like glass and into the air around them both before ripping apart the ground and sinking him into a huge pit.

Rost panted heavily and choked on the dust as he got back to his feet, still within the pit formed by the attack. He felt blood trickle down his shoulder inside his armour; it had managed to cut straight in. Alain should not have been able to use two such powerful weapon techniques in a short succession, yet it had happened. Promathia had granted the same gifts it seemed and whether aware of it or not Alain had taken on Samurai traits just as he had taken on the Black Magic spells of a Dark Knight.

From the top of the pit he saw Alain's shadowed figure looking down with the scythe cradled on his shoulder. His former friend's hand raised as a spell was evoked. Rost instinctively raised his katana and prepared to move yet there was no attack. As the dust settled he saw Alain in plain view now, yet there seemed to be a purple mist hanging around him that differed from the kind he had seen when Soul Eater was used.

There was a crashing sound from somewhere else in the room. Alain turned and looked on. Prishe appeared instantly in front of him and struck out. This time as her fist met his face she buckled as if she had been struck in the stomach, whereas Alain did not even flinch. She pulled back and punched with all her strength, this time aiming for his gut. Once more the Hume did not move and she was sent flying as it hit with as much force.

Rost leapt from the pit and swung his katana down towards Alain's exposed back. It struck; he was sure of it. To his shock he suddenly felt pain up his chest as blood flew up through a cut spreading along the front of his armour. He pulled back and stopped attacking, resulting in him falling against Alain, who turned and shoved him back inside the pit. Rost landed on his back and looked up in disbelief through slightly blurred vision.

There was a spell at work that he had never seen before. No Dark Knight, not even Zeid, had used such an incantation. The dark purple mist lightly floating around Alain's body was acting as some kind of reflective shield. Damage that would be done to him was being dealt back in equal force to the attackers. It was not a direct mirror however; though he had cut Alain's back the damage dealt back had torn his chest plate and cut him there. Never the less this magic spell seemed to have made him impervious to injury.

_No, this calls for a level head. Even with his new power, that spell will not hold out forever. I must wait until it disappears and strike then with the extent of my power!_

Once more leaving the pit, he reached the edge and then leapt backwards as Apocalypse struck where he had been. Tugging Amanomurakumo upwards, he sliced through a chunk of ice heading straight for him, splitting it in two and casting both halves to the ground. Alain charged forwards straight after and he prepared to swing, but saw that the purple mist remained and quickly had to deflect and then move away once more.

Twice more he was forced to dodge attacks and he then weathered a ball of fire bursting around one of his gauntlets. But then he saw the mist vanish and knew it was then that he had to strike.

"Meikyo Shisui!"

Pulled his great katana down into the ground he opened with Tachi: Kagero. A line of flame shot along the floor and exploded on contact with Alain into a fountain of flames. Next he drew the power of Tachi: Yukikaze from his blade and a half moon of white light struck into the pillar of flame, extending it further and rupturing the ground. To finish, he charged forwards with lightning spreading the length of his blade as Tachi: Koki activated.

The tip of Amanomurakumo entered the glowing pillar of flame and there was a blinding flash as lighting shot around and within it before exploding. Vision was completely obscured in the whole room as thousand year old dust was shaken from all sides by the force of power on display. Still holding his katana out, Rost tried to pull back his blade and found that it would not move.

"…Impossible…!" was all he could stutter.

Alain stood before him gripping the middle of Amanomurakumo with a single hand and peering at him with emotionless eyes. Promathia's horrible sense of irony was being played out before him as, before he could do anything, Alain twisted his gauntlet sideways and broke the great katana blade in two. Taking the shattered half with him, Rost stepped back and too late noticed the golden scythe descending towards him.

-

"Someone's coming back!" Hanaa said with surprise.

From the chamber the others had disappeared into someone appeared. Catherine got as close to the edge of the shell protecting them as she could, hoping that she would see Alain. Though he was a welcomed sight to see safe and sound, she was slightly saddened when it was Tenzen who staggered towards the rainbow shell, eventually collapsing inside it. Renene hopped to his side and began applying her limited healing skills and Hanaa soon helped. She was glad they had, her mind was racing and her attention too drawn towards the door ahead to try casting magic.

"It was too strong for me, I am dishonoured," Tenzen said from where he lay.

"…The call from Promathia?" Nokum-Akkum questioned.

"Yes. I stood before the husk of the Keeper and it was louder than ever. I knew what it was saying to be false yet something inside me was compelling me to believe it. I felt my hand reaching for my blade as if I were about to strike out at my companions and it was then that I knew I could not go further. I pray they are stronger willed than I…"

Catherine held her chest and closed her eyes. Tenzen was not a weak person in body or spirit and yet he had been overpowered by the calling from Promathia. Rost had warned her, warned her that Alain had already given into it and might act against them. Somewhere inside her she knew it to be true and in that moment felt pain and apprehension.

The whole palace seemed to shake, startling all of them. From where Tenzen had appeared dust shot out, forced by some unknown source. There was a second shudder and then a third. Had the battle against the Keeper began? Still holding her chest she felt a tear on her cheek and believed that it was not the case. A hand was placed on her shoulder before the Gentleman Thief bent over her and put his mouth to her ear.

"I believe the worst has happened," he whispered.

"What…what can I do? I'm not strong enough either…I can't ignore the voice."

"Milady…what does it promise you?"

She thought back to the voice and what it had told her, what it knew she yearned for. It was the same thing she had always wanted right from the start, which was why she knew she could not fight against the temptation. It had promised her the path to Alain's heart, to true love with one who felt the same way as she did. It promised a safe life for them both together surrounded by friends and loved ones, everything she had ever wanted.

_I love…_

Love, it was easy to say to herself. It was easy to think about and believe in, but so much harder to actually say it. She loved Alain so much and had for a long time, yet the courage had never found her to tell him as much. Why was she afraid? She was held back by fear that something would change for the worse if her feelings were not returned. Rejection was the thing she feared most, rejection from the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Love was both a beautiful and hurtful emotion, making it the most ambivalent of all feelings.

_I love him…_

The Gentleman Thief went on, "What you want is already within your grasp. Believe this fact and you will be able to face your own darkness head on. If you do not then I fear what you seek will be lost to you forever. You are the only one of us with a chance of carrying on!"

-

Rost fell to his knees as blood gushed into the air from his chest as the Saotome armour was cut to shreds. The broken half of Amanomurakumo that he had held so tightly onto dropped to the floor. His own strength had not been enough and in the end he could not give in to the artificial hatred.

Was it a Samurai's honour that had stopped him? No, he had given up his honour a long time ago. He had given up everything. To lose faith had crushed him and sent him down a path he regretted. As if seeking redemption from Altana or whoever looked down from above he had tried to prepare Alain, to make him stronger, and now that too had backfired.

He had been a puppet all along, unwilling or not. Diabolos and Bahamut had been right; they had never truly been on a path of choice. The chains had been leading them every step of the way even when it seemed like they had found hope. Now the one holding the light meant to save Vana'diel had become a weapon at Promathia's disposal and with that power the Keeper would become invincible.

Through blurred vision he tried to look upwards at Alain and as he went he saw movement from somewhere behind. A being of white was rushing forwards as the golden scythe was raised once more to finish the job. He tried to call out but his injuries stopped him. He stretched out a hand as Alain lowered his scythe horizontal with his body and swung round to catch the approaching figure off guard.

"Alai-

The scythe cut into the centre of the person's stomach. Rost tried to move but fell forwards. He looked up from the ground and tried to move but his legs would not obey. In a second of pure panic he gasped as he saw that the one that the scythe had struck was Catherine.

-

"_My name is Gerdinus of the 3__rd__ Iron Musketeers and this group has been formed under the allied nation's agreement to be dispatched to the front lines within two months. Try to get on."_

"_Hi, I'm Alain."_

"_Nice to meet you, my name is Catherine."_

"_I've never seen you before, do you live in Bastok?"_

"_Ah, no, I was raised in San d'Oria most of my life. I was studying White Magic under the priests there. Oh, who is this?"_

"…_That's Nokum-Akkum, he's my friend. Try to ignore his intense drooling gaze. He still isn't used to girls taller than him wearing short robes."_

"_Catherine? What happened in here?"_

"_Alain?! No-nothing! I was just… I was trying a synthesis to make carrot broth…"_

"_It's all over the barracks! Did it explode?!"_

"…_I'm not very good at cooking using crystals I guess. I never had to back at the church, there were cooks… Don't worry; I'll clean it all up."_

"_I was trying to find you because Gerdinus wants to run formation practise again. Nokum-Akkum is looking for that lazy Red Mage though and that'll take some time so don't sweat it. I'll help you clean this mess up before anyone notices."_

"_I…thank you, Alain."_

"_It's just a scratch…"_

"_That sword cut deep into your arm, hold still while I apply some magic."_

"…_Figures, two weeks into real service and I'm already injured. Did you see Rost's face? He found it funny, I'm sure of it. It's because I was using a scythe, I knew I should have just went with the great sword despite what he said."_

"_Rostairmar takes some getting used to, but he is a kind and honourable person."_

"_Oh really? Rostairmar d'Lecanti, even his name sounds pretentious. But I guess you know him better than me…you two met while you were studying in San d'Oria, right? Are you two…eh, you know?"_

"_Wh-what?! No, he is a dear friend. More like a brother than anything else!"_

"_Well…that's good. So, what's the damage?"_

"_My magic has sealed the wound…but it's liable to leave a small scar. You can go now but don't go swinging around a heavy weapon for a few days or you could dislocate it entirely or the wound might split open again."_

"_Thanks, Catherine."_

It was like waking up from a dream into a nightmare as the black armour of Abyss vanished. Alain saw what was happening but had lost control of his body, it was acting on its own. Now he looked at his hands stained with blood grasping a golden scythe and followed the hilt and along the shaft to the curved blade that had lodged itself in someone's stomach.

"Alain…"

He wanted to scream as he saw who it was. His body froze and his legs nearly gaze way. Catherine was hunched over the scythe blade, blood oozing over her white robes. Her hair had fallen in front of her face but she still managed to look up and see him. It was after that moment of feeling as if he could not move at all that full control was given back to him and whatever dark force was guiding his hand was cast away. The scythe pulled back, leaving her body, and causing her to collapse to the floor. He followed in kind, and caught her in his arms.

He brushed her hair away to see her face and pulled back in horror as he realized his hands were stained with blood and had only made it worse. Remembering basic training, he applied pressure to the wound and tried to pull as much of the robe around as he could to provide warmth and keep the blood in, but it already looked like it was too late.

"Someone!" he shouted before eventually screaming, "Someone help her!"

She was trying to talk but could not; he moved closer and still heard nothing. He could not hold back the tears as he realized there was nothing he could do alone. It was beyond his power to save her; everything he had done was pointless now. He called out for help again and again.

"No…" someone said from his side.

Prishe ran over covered in dust from the rubble she had been struck into. She pushed him aside and cradled Catherine's body before a white light grew from her hand as she tried to heal the wound. To his side Rost appeared, only able to crawl, and was trying to get closer to her.

"Damn it, it's too deep!"

An amber feather dropped before Alain. Looking up he saw Selh'teus descending from the sky. The boy was shocked by what he found but instantly knew that Promathia's influence was the cause. He explained that the city had begun a far more rapid decent and his efforts to slow the fall had only bought them a short amount of time.

"Do something for this girl first!" Prishe ordered.

"There is no time," the boy replied.

Alain pulled himself up onto his knees and grabbed Selh'teus by the shoulders before shaking him and begging that he would save Catherine somehow. Still with an emotionless face, the boy listened but did not react. He continued to plead; he did not care how pathetic he looked. Nothing else mattered anymore.

"There is a way," Selh'teus said at last. "But it would use up a considerable amount of both my remaining strength and the light stored within you. You would lower our chances of defeating the great enemy substantially."

"I don't care!" he cried back. "She's all that matters! Please! Please save her!"

Selh'teus landed fully on the ground and struck forward with a flat palm, landing it squarely above Alain's heart. A white light grew around his hand and instantly caused him immense pain. The light expanded until it surrounded all of them. Unable to move, he did his best to look down at where Catherine lay in Prishe's arms and was sure that the light was illuminating her whole body.

"Redemption," the boy said.

Alain's body felt instantly renewed, like he could whether a hundred more battles. Rost was able to get to his feet next to him as if his wounds no longer hindered him. His katana had been repaired as if the damage had never been done to it. Alain moved closer and next to Prishe, as he saw Catherine move. Leaning her against his body, she stirred and groaned before opening her eyes and being astonished by them all looking at her.

"Alain…" she whispered.

"I'm sorry, so sorry," he replied.

She stroked his face and gently smiled, but did not have enough strength to sit up. It seemed as though Selh'teus' technique had been enough to make them feel one hundred percent but had only been strong enough to pull her back from the clutches of death. But that was enough.

"How sickeningly pathetic."

A white ball of light struck into Selh'teus as he tried to take to the air, knocking him across the room. A second shot towards them both, but Prishe pulled herself in front of them as Alain got to his feet and was hit by the full force, sending them both sprawling across the floor. Alain got up in time to dodge another aimed in his direction and Rost was able to deflect another using the repaired Amanomurakumo. Alain found his scythe and stood next to Rost in front of the one who had attacked them; Nag'molada.

"You people with your imperfections abhor me," he said. "You do all this, but why? Do you fight to extend your simple lives or to fight against the inevitable end? But I am just as tainted. But why must it be this way? Before us stands the single piece of perfection in this imperfect world holding all the answers of existence and you would so readily try to destroy it?! To learn the truth of existence from a God would allow me to attain perfection; no longer would I be tainted. Do you hear me, Promathia? Teach me the truths of creation so that I might lead the innocents of this world through the gates to the origin of the perfect truth!"

A fierce wave of his hand sent a shockwave from the giant hanging body before them. Yve'noile's black chains began to break away revealing a glowing white body beneath as the creature stirred to life. Four small wings sprouted from its back and purple light grew from its chest and face. The creature now floated in the air before them and was steadily releasing unfathomable power. Suddenly it dropped to the ground on one knee, shaking the whole palace, as more purple wings sprouted from its back. There was a luminous hole in the centre that had to be its face and it was focused entirely on Nag'molada.

From around the former society member a black puddle formed by pure Emptiness appeared and soon he began to sink into it. He took a single passing glance back at them as Prishe and Selh'teus recovered and smiled. It took only a few seconds for him to fully vanish and then the Emptiness vanished from whence it came. The angelic monster before them now stood tall and a dark voice echoed from inside it that almost sounded like Nag'molada.

"At last…the truth…we are…we are…"

-

_**I have found thee… My wayward children… I come to greet thee… Return to thy father…**_

-

"What the hell is it talking about?!" Prishe cried. "We're its children? Promathia's children?! Stop!"

Promathia rose into the air with its arms above its head gathering a huge amount of magical energy into a ball. Floating into this ball of light, the God was instantly gone as if teleported. All around them the palace shook and Selh'teus looked down, exclaiming that he was beneath the city attempting to contact Vana'diel and was calling on Altana.

The calls were challenging Altana. Cursing her for his imprisonment and that now there was nothing to stop rebirth. He ordered her to surrender to the abhorrent death and eternal darkness awaiting the world. The silence would be equally eternal. The palace shook once more.

"That bastard is helping him," Prishe cursed. "Nag'molada…all his knowledge will be inside Promathia now. He's using the old technology here to make the capital fall faster. And now he knows about the state of the world, about the wars and everything. No one will be safe!"

Where Promathia had hung, trapped by chains formed by the darkness absorbed by Yve'noile, there was an explosion powered by rare magic energy. As the dust settled there was a pillar of multicoloured light going through the centre of the palace connecting the sky above with whatever was held in the bowels below.

All across Vana'diel people looked up as the sky darkened. Then, inside each and every one of them, they heard a voice calling to them promising everything their heart had ever desired.


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: DAWN

They had gotten something wrong from day one. Maybe not just them, maybe even the Zilart. The fault was theirs, they had assumed too much despite what they knew. Now finally freed, Promathia's will spread from the palace of the white city between realities, to all of Vana'diel. The truth that was buried in each of them was revealed by his calling.

Promathia, the Twilight God, did not seek absolute power or to bring about an age of darkness in which he would reign supreme. What Promathia sought was an end and the apocalypse that they had all been hoping to avoid would begin were that to happen. The will of the Twilight God was the Emptiness. But the potent power of the Emptiness was too great even for a God to store, thus it had to be distributed into millions of living vessels; the Children of Altana. If it could be said that Altana was the mother of all life, then it could be equally said that Promathia was the father.

To ensure that Promathia would continue to exist, Altana had stolen the energy of the Mother Crystals to create a race of people to hold the Emptiness. But in this process the Mother Crystal split into five pieces and the realm of the Gods fell and became the world known as Vana'diel. Long ago the inhabitants of Al'taieu, with this knowledge burned into their very souls, made it their mission to restore the Mother Crystal, open the gates, and be reunited with Promathia in paradise.

Prishe smirked, "So he's a God with a death wish? …Figures."

Selh'teus flew into the pillar of light spreading through the centre of the palace, urging them to hurry. This beam was speeding the decent of the capital onto Vana'diel but at the same time acted as a way to reach where Promathia had hidden himself until the decent was complete. Alain stood supporting Catherine with Rost at his side, looking on at the angelic light.

"Catherine, you should wait here," he said to her.

"No…I can, I can go. I don't hear the voice at all."

Rost moved forwards, "The same could be said to you, Alain. Your weapon has disappeared and you cannot trust the power used to summon it again. There is no time to retrieve one from the others either."

He had no hand-to-hand ability and his magic was not potent enough to be of use. Catherine stood up fully on her own and found the dagger that the Gentleman Thief had given her and passed it to him. He tried to be grateful and almost smiled, but a dagger was not his most ideal weapon either. Despite what was happening around them she still managed to smile back, knowing his lacklustre appreciation for it.

"We just have to go as we are," Prishe said and put her hands on her hips. "Make do with what you've got and if all else fails get behind me. Catherine can hang back and support in any way she can manage."

Together the four of them stepped into the white light and instantly felt as if they were being carried by teleportation magic.

A strange feeling overcame Alain when the magic left them. It was like the air was pure magical essence and there was no breeze at all. It did not hurt to breathe, it almost felt warm. A dark blue night sky seemed all around them with tiny stars sparkling one by one. Huge shards of white crystals hung in the air like they were stuck and directly overhead was a huge dark red one which looked like the Mother Crystal that had been kept in the Movalpolos. It dawned on Alain then that all the crystals seemed familiar, all five of them.

The ground felt like walking over a protective barrier created by White Magic. He looked down and almost fell over. An open dark sky greeted him, yet it was more than that. Far, far, below he could make out bits of land. It was as if he was floating above Vana'diel itself. He could not believe it to be true, yet the mass right below them looked identical to Qufim Island.

"Vana'diel is…below us?" Catherine questioned with amazement.

"The decent of the white city…reality has been twisted," Rost stuttered.

A mighty roar caught their attention. The giant white body of the Twilight God smashed his hands together in an attempt to crush Selh'teus like a bug. The winged boy flew around the enemy throwing blast after blast of white energy. Pausing in the air, Selh'teus raised his hand as a spear of light formed in it. Promathia swung a mighty hand forward sending a blast of purple energy towards him. The boy let the spear fly just as the blast struck into him, sending him to the floor in a shower of amber and purple feathers. Meanwhile, the white spear struck Promathia in the chest and though his hands seemed to catch it and stop it piercing straight through, he did not move. It was as if he had been frozen or stunned by the attack. They ran to the injured boy as he stood up.

"I am alright," he reported as they gathered. "I had hoped to draw Promathia away with temptations of the Emptiness still inside me but it was not enough. My attack will not hold him for long and I cannot guarantee that I can summon another; strike now while you can!"

Prishe raised her hand and halted them, "Leave it to me. I know he's in there somewhere, that bastard Nag'molada, and as far as I'm concerned our deal is still in effect, Alain!"

She swung her hand up and cast Haste on herself before grinning and looking straight ahead with a determined look.

"I'm going all out for you, Brute! Hundred Fists!"

An aura of power erupted around Prishe as she slammed her fists together before taking up a stance similar to a sprinter. Without even seeming to push off, she vanished instantly, ripping particles of magic essence into the air as she went, marking out a trail towards Promathia.

Promathia broke free from the spear that Selh'teus had trapped him with and slammed a fist into the ground where Prishe had been. She reappeared next to it and knocked the hand away with a simple nudge from one of hers. Promathia's second fist tried, but her figure momentarily vanished, reappearing on top of the second arm. She ran part way up it before pushing off it with enough force to swing it down, and slammed her fists into Promathia.

Caught in the momentum of the punch, the God could only flail slightly as he was forced down onto his back with a mighty crash. Prishe did not relent and began slamming her fists into Promathia's body again and again at blinding speed still with the same determined look on her face. The body continued to rock from side to side with each successive blow and chips of white armour flew high into the air.

Eventually, as the power of her most potent hand-to-hand combat skill left her, she back flipped off the body and landed a short distance from his feet, breathing heavily. Bits of the white armour that had been protecting Promathia's form still dropped from her scrunched up fists as she watched the body closely. They all knew that it was not over, but could not tell just how much damage she had managed to do.

Promathia sat up and tried to swing at her, but with Haste still in effect she instantly moved a safe distance back. He got to his feet as it summoned more of his strength and roared with anger once more. The purple wings lining his back seemed to tense suddenly and then strange objects started to appear. They were circular in shape and one by one formed into a large halo shape. For only a second they glowed a dark purple as energy spread across them all, spurring them into life as they started to spin at incredible speeds. Prishe backed up a bit more and soon she was next to him and Rost.

"Those things are spinning too fast to catch," she cursed. "That's hardly fair."

"If he means to attack with them then I will do my best to keep them occupied," Rost stated. "You and Alain must pick ideal moments to strike, but if he can control them independently do not linger long."

Reaching the maximum speed, Promathia pointed forwards and each circular weapon shot out from behind him and straight for them. Prishe dashed right while Alain moved left. Rost ran forwards to meet them head on, ducking under the first and then catching the next with his katana. Sparks shot into the air from the contact and sure enough the circular hollow disc was deflected and stabbed into the ground. But seconds later, as if being pulled by an invisible string, it was drawn back to Promathia and began to pick up speed once more.

Alain barely managed to roll out the way of another before getting up and continuing to run towards his target. Raising his hand he fired off a single cast of Thunder, missing the other discs but managing to catch Promathia in the side. He dodged another disc and did not even try to deflect using the small dagger. He was getting closer but his magic had drawn the attention of the Twilight God. He raised a hand and seemed to be preparing a spell, but it was interrupted as Prishe, in the middle of avoiding a disc herself, drop kicked the side of the God and knocked him off balance.

A blue barrier burst around Alain's top left shoulder, causing him to wince with surprise at the sudden flicker. He looked over to Catherine who had outstretched a hand towards him and realized that she had probably just saved his life. Her other hand was pointed at Rost and was similarly trying to cast protective magic to ward off the attacks aimed at him. To be able to even attempt protecting them both at the same time in her weakened state showed just how powerful she really was.

While managing to land a few more blows, Prishe was pushed to the floor as one of the circular discs struck into her back. At the speed it was going it probably would have cut straight through a normal person but given her immortality it only cut the skin. She got up and put a protective barrier of her own around her as she felt her back and saw blood drop to the floor. Seconds later, and with renewed vigour, she charged forwards to resume her attacks.

Rost deflected two more times and then was saved by Catherine's magic, giving him enough time to fire off the power stored in his katana. A trail of flame shot along the floor and burned into a pillar as it met with Promathia, yet this only caused a roar and did not seem to pain the Twilight God.

Alain tried more magic; it was all he could hope for now that he could not get close to Promathia. He ducked another disc and counted his blessings as he cast Thunder once more and saw a flicker of blue light at his side as another disc he had not seen was stopped by Catherine. But as he finished casting his eyes opened wider as the blue protective barrier burst and the shards knocked against him. He twisted sharply and fell to one knee as he was caught in the side by one of the discs.

He had brought the dagger he held down just fast enough, and knocked the disc away before it could cut any deeper. But his armour had been ruptured and a deep cut just above his left thigh now bled heavily. The shock of the sudden blood loss had taken all strength out of his legs and he could not move. Catherine now directed both hands towards him and was fending off at least three of Promathia's discs.

Selh'teus swooped along the ground towards him, snatching Alain up as he went by, and was somehow able to carry his weight as if he were just a Tarutaru. Turning fully in the air to avoid the discs, he flew down to where Catherine stood and dropped him there, before returning to the fight.

"I'll heal the wound," she said.

"No!" he replied sternly. "I can't fight like this, keep supporting Rost and Prishe!"

"Alain…"

He watched Prishe, who seemed to be getting incredibly angry at the method of attack Promathia had chosen. A ball of white holy light grew in her fist as she aimed for two discs flying towards her and caught them in it. Nothing remained as the magical essence was absorbed into the air. Catherine had seen this as well and soon did the same using her magic as Rost temporarily disabled each disc by deflecting them.

_They've never fought together before and look at them,_ Alain thought to himself. _I'm already out of the battle… Without the power Promathia was feeding me I'm still weak. But I can't trust that strength, or any that might come to me because of my half Zilart blood._

With all the discs destroyed Rost unleashed two more powerful weapon skills into the Twilight God, while Prishe struck from every angle. Eventually she drop kicked his side once more and this time managed to bring him to his knees. She dodged back alongside Rost as Selh'teus swooped to her side.

"Are we winning yet?" she asked the flying boy sarcastically.

"Yes, he is losing his strength."

Prishe's eyes lit up, "That's more like it! Let's end this with the next punch!"

The Twilight God raised a single hand up slightly; it seemed to almost be shaking. Was this some sort of plea for mercy or an attempt to cast a spell? Alain could not tell and, regardless of what it was, Prishe charged forwards. Selh'teus called out not to underestimate what power Promathia had left, but this advise fell on deaf ears. A few meters from Promathia, Prishe was forced to a stop as a pool of Emptiness opened around her.

"He seeks to restore his power by absorbing her!" Rost shouted.

Rost began to move forwards but this time Selh'teus forced him to stop by moving directly in front. He ordered none of them to move as with the Emptiness being summoned around Promathia they could not hope to land any blows. Alain protested from where he knelt, stating that they had to save Prishe. If her power was absorbed into Promathia all hope would be lost. Unable to move, Prishe glared up at the God, who had now bent forward and was looking straight at her.

_**Yearn…desire…hunger for…the end of mortality…**_

A light grew from Prishe's chest, from the magicite made from pure Emptiness that had turn her immortal and made her so powerful. She looked down at it, realizing that it was what Promathia wanted from her.

"This is not the end!" she screamed at him. "There will not be an apocalypse!"

With an ear splitting cry of pain she dug both her hands into her chest and ripped the magicite lodged there straight out, spilling her blood into the Emptiness trying to consume her. Selh'teus's eyes opened wider and he quickly took to the air, pulling his hand up and forming another spear of light as he went.

"We were born with the purpose of living!"

She threw the blood stained black magicite at Promathia, just as Selh'teus released the spear of light from his hand. The Twilight God stretched eagerly forward towards the magicite, yet in mid air it was skewered by the spear and both struck straight into his face. The crystallizing effect of pure magicite infused with Emptiness meeting with the power of light occurred instantly and a dark purple shards shot up from the God's face.

For a moment everything was still, but then the now crystallized magicite shattered in time with the spear disappearing and Promathia emerged, seemingly unharmed. Still it was on its knees, but now it reached both hands into the air and began to collect an unfathomable amount of power.

_It didn't do anything! The magicite shattered!_

From Vana'diel, far below, a white light grew. It warmed the air around them as it covered all of the crystals and tightened into a pillar around Promathia's body. The crystals began resonating with each other and it sounded like someone was singing. The Twilight God looked up at the peak of the pillar, where it felt as if a majestic force was watching them all. A single droplet of liquid fell from the sky. It landed on Promathia's face, but did not stop him looking up.

_Can you hear me?_

_**I can…**_

Promathia's body glowed brighter and brighter until eventually everyone watching had to shield their eyes. When the light subsided there seemed to be nothing left and even the Emptiness around Prishe had been washed away. Was this the cleansing light of the Dawn Goddess? With Catherine's help, Alain hobbled forwards until he, Rost, and Selh'teus were with Prishe. One by one they looked up at the white light that was still present and were amazed to see more tiny sparkles of liquid fall from the sky.

"The tears of the Goddess…" Rost stuttered in amazement. "She cries…"

The tears fell like rain around them yet were warm with feelings of love. As each of them were touched they felt healed and at peace. The wound that had been hindering Alain was gone and he no longer felt pain. Now standing tall, he placed his hand around Catherine's side as she laid her head on his shoulder and they all stood in silence, watching the tears fall.

Eventually it stopped and all seemed well, yet it still felt uneasy. Alain looked around half expecting Promathia to re-emerge. He was not used to things working out well. Selh'teus took to the sky and hovered near the red crystal where the white light of Altana had appeared from.

"The power of the fifth crystal has been restored," he said. "Al'taieu no longer plummets towards Vana'diel. The people below and you too, helped heal the crystals. Though the chains of Promathia bound you to distinct types of darkness, the tears of Altana also flows through you allowing you to love and care for one another. That is what stopped Promathia and allowed him to return to where he wanted without destroying your world."

"So…I guess we all go home now?" Prishe asked and rubbed her nose.

Selh'teus bowed his head, "I thank you all for what you have done, but I cannot go back with you. My life is not a natural one and I no longer feel emotion from carrying the Emptiness for so long. I will remain in this city, in this reality between worlds, to guard these crystals from any who might try to take control of them once more."

With that he bid them farewell and stated that if they were to return to where they had appeared in this white land they would find a red pillar which would send them home. Selh'teus flew up behind the giant red crystal and vanished. Alain could not help but feel a little sad that after everything; Selh'teus was still bound by actions made so long ago.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeey!" a voice called from behind them.

They turned to see Hanaa eagerly running towards them. Behind her, Samuel, Nokum-Akkum, and Renene seemed to be staring at the floor, engrossed by the few of Vana'diel far below. Tenzen and the Gentleman Thief stood in silence at the back, while Ulmia rushed to Prishe and embraced her dear friend. Hanaa hugged him and then Catherine, before noticing that they were standing so close to each other and grinning from ear to ear. She moved to hug Rost, causing him to back foot a little and raise a hand in protest.

Alain laughed, but then was distracted by Catherine doing the same. She was leaning right against him; he had never felt so close to her. She looked at him and was confused why he was staring so much, which caused him to blush. Slowly he leant forwards and she did the same.

Nokum-Akkum (who was now paying attention) leant over to Renene, "They don'taru kiss as good as us."

The Tarutaru Summoner nodded in agreement. Hanaa was whooping and clapping her hands, causing them both to smile nervously and blush after parting. They suddenly felt very awkward upon realizing everyone had been watching them.

"Let's not all stare at the love birds," Prishe said as she walked past them with a smile on her face. "It's time to go home!"

As they walked together, Alain remembered that he still held the Gentleman Thief's dagger and moved over to the old Elvaan in order to return it. He gratefully accepted it back. Alain felt a little uneasy with the silence that followed and decided he had to say something.

"Thank you…for all your help, I mean."

"Think nothing of it dear boy," was the cheerful reply.

"What are you going to do now?"

"At first I was not sure, but now that I have heard what my heart apparently desires, I believe I should set about making that a reality. At first I was unsure how to proceed, but now I know."

Alain knew well enough that the Gentleman Thief was only ever cryptic if he did not want to admit to something and so he did not push for more information. But it did get him thinking about everything that Promathia had promised each of them. It was a reflection of what was in each of them and not a fake or forced desire; it was just magnified to the point of being uncontrollable.

The voice had promised him an end to the fighting. It felt like it was telling him that if he gave in and did as he was told the war would go away and he would not need to fight anymore. He would be free to live a peaceful life with the woman he came to love. Yet it was giving into that desire that had almost made him lose her forever and he would not forget that fact. Returning to Catherine's side he asked her what the voice had promised her.

"I…that is," she stuttered and blushed. "…The voice promised me…you."

He had embarrassed her and at the same time embarrassed himself. He apologized as she held his arm tightly. It still felt strange, especially around all their friends, but he welcomed it.

"You should speak with Rost," she whispered as they walked.

"Yeah…I guess I should," he replied uneasily.

He did not know what to say to Rost, but still parted from Catherine and started moving over to where the Elvaan Samurai walked in silence. In the end they had fought each other but then fought side by side against Promathia. With the Twilight God gone he no longer felt any hate in his heart and that almost worried him. He had become so used to that hatred being there, just ready to be focused on and to bring out his power, that with it missing it felt like a lost limb.

"Rost…" he said at last.

"You are not required to thank me," the Elvaan stated. "For any redeeming thing I may have done I have done many more which would damn me. We were played off against each other as part of Promathia's plan, but now that artificial hatred is gone. Unless there is another war which calls on the Allied Nations agreement, I doubt we will need to fight together again."

"So…that means you are returning to the San d'Orian military?"

Rost nodded. Alain felt the need to remind the Elvaan that his house in San d'Oria had completely collapsed months ago, a fact which caused Rost's shoulders to rise and his steps to halt at the realization that he no longer had a home waiting for him in his homeland. Given his actions and what he had learned about the faith in the Gates of the Gods it was unlikely he would be able to stay as a Temple Knight either.

"You're still classed as one of the Six Champions," Alain said. "That means you still have a home in Bastok."

Rost huffed, "And what would I do there?"

"I don't know… You could join the Musketeers, or just become a freelance adventurer if you don't want to fight under Bastok's flag officially. I mean, if you still want to fight at all that is."

Rost raised an eyebrow and questioned whether he was implying that he no longer wished to fight. Alain knew the answer, but shrugged instead. He might not hate Rost anymore, but he still did not want to look weak in front of him. Their rivalry had been real; it had started long before that day in Xarcabard.

In the middle of a white field they found a thin red pillar that reached up to the sky. It had stained the water beneath but did not seem to be having any effect on the strange creatures that inhabited the area. They all stood within the pillar and looked up. High in the sky they were sure that they could see the silhouette of a large airship, but that did not make sense. The place they had fought Promathia had been above the world, yet now they were probably below it, and an airship hanging in the sky was somewhere above them. Rather than think about it for much longer and get a headache in the process, Alain thought it best to just go with the flow.

They were carried by magic, it felt like teleportation yet at the same time it was almost like flying as well. The white city and the reality it was trapped inside were left behind as they were drawn back into Vana'diel, to an airship hovering over the middle of the Black Sea.

Alain got his bearings quite quickly, and realized that they were on a large military airship. It soon became obvious that they were on Sigma XIII. Sure enough, the cannons at the front of the ship and a lot of the deck was either patched up by rickety wood or still badly damaged. Looking towards the pilot area, he saw Cardinal Mildaurion approaching. She wore orange and black armour with a gold headband, which was far different to the society robes they had seen her wearing before.

"Welcome back," she said to them all. "You were successful in stopping Promathia and on behalf of everyone I thank you…however, there is a problem. While you explored Al'Taieu strange things began to happen here. Needless to say…I do not think our troubles are over just yet."


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: THE LAST VERSE

Things had been going in their favour far too much. Everything seemed like it was over. With Promathia gone it felt like the end. He should have known better. Alain walked with everyone else as they went round the outer deck of Sigma XIII to the bridge area where Esha'ntarl waited for them. Once inside the bridge, who they found waiting inside shocked everyone.

With Esha'ntarl was a large collection of familiar faces. From Bastok was Volker of the Mythril Musketeers, Chief Engineer Cid, Zeid, and two Gold Musketeers. From San d'Oria was Rahal of the Royal Knights with two other troops from the unit. From Windurst was Doctor Shantotto, escorted by a unit of four Cardians. From Jeuno was Aldo with two ninjas dressed in black at his back and Captain Wolfgang with four of his soldiers.

Hanaa whistled, "There's so much brrrass in this room I'm surprised the airship doesn't sink."

"I hear you almost did sink it!" Cid said and then laughed from his belly. "You lot almost ruined my chances of seeing this baby completed. But I got to repair it and it brought back some fond memories, so I forgive you."

Esha'ntarl spoke up, "Chief Engineer Cid worked remarkably fast to bring Sigma XIII back up to a safe level of operation. But we do not have time to chat. These representatives from each nation already know what is going on, but I must explain it to you. Listen closely and let us be brief."

The commander of Jeuno started by explaining that every person on Vana'diel had heard the call of Promathia. That call had been silenced soon after however, before it drove anyone over the edge. Esha'ntarl knew that this meant that they had succeeded and thanked them for it. Following the silencing of the calling things did not revert to how they had been.

Teleportation magic still did not function properly and the crystals in tune with the spells around the world were still acting strangely. The Emptiness appeared to have vanished from the crags where the crystals were hidden yet passage inside was blocked by some unknown source. Each nation had carried out its own investigation and had come together to try and solve the mystery. That was when Esha'ntarl brought the representatives to Jeuno in an effort to recruit their assistance for what was to come.

She believed that there was a force still trying to interfere with the Crystal Line. It was not strong enough to bring about the same calamity as Promathia had hoped to do, but it was enough to still pose a threat if it were left alone. What the force was she could only guess, but assumed that it was one or more tainted souls refusing to go back to the Mother Crystal. This stubborn act would only be enough to cause a block if it were a particularly powerful soul.

"Are you saying Promathia is still trying to cause trouble?" Prishe asked with a huff.

Esha'ntarl shook her head, "You defeated Promathia. If it were he who was trying to cause this interference then the effects would be far more severe. I regret to say…that I think it may be Nag'molada."

Alain clenched his fists. That sinister fool was still trying to make his presence felt even in death. But something still puzzled him; how had all this happened in such a small space of time? They had only been inside Al'Taieu for less than a day. He raised this point and confused looks collectively appeared on everyone's faces. It fell to Zeid to state that it had been just over a week since they had reportedly vanished from within Newton Movalpolos. As soon as Sigma XIII was able to fly steadily once more it was immediately dispatched to watch over the red beam that had appeared over the Black Sea but nothing came out.

"…A…week?" Alain stuttered.

"Selh'teus warned that Al'Taieu was trapped inside a dimension outside our own," Rost commented. "We saw how paradoxical it was when we battled while looking over Vana'diel below us despite being beneath the sea. It's clear that time was moving differently as well."

Alain narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, thanks for the explanation. So what are we going to do about this?"

"You've all been fighting alone and on our behalf for too long," Volker said and folded his arms. "We're all here to do our part. An army would have been more useful, but with Bahamut still posing a danger we can't afford to move a large amount of troops, so we're all you get."

Shantotto put her hand to her mouth and let out an incredibly loud laugh, "Ohohohohohoho! The Cardians of my homeland, you see, are notoriously well made and quite problem free. Who needs an army, when you have my guarantee?"

Finally the allied nations were moving in the same direction. Even though they only had a small number of troops each it was still relieving to hear. The few that they had were each masterful fighters in their own way and would count for many more normal soldiers. But he, and by the looks of it, the others that had just left Al'Taieu were exhausted. Nevertheless they could not turn their backs now after coming so far.

Esha'ntarl went on to explain that from what Cid and the other scientists from Jeuno on board the ship had surmised was that the red beam coming from the sea was a conduit straight into Al'Taieu with a different gravity than the air around it. Stepping into it would most likely send them straight back to the white city. They would go back into the city and find the controls of the Crystal Line and attempt to draw out whatever was causing the interference.

"How do you intend to….draw out the problem?" the Gentleman Thief asked.

"Ulmia will do it," she replied.

They turned and looked at the shy Bard, who looked away in embarrassment. Esha'ntarl explained that with help from Tavnazia they had been able to translate ancient texts that revealed the lyrics to the final verse of Memoria de la Stona. Ulmia would sing the full song and draw out the darkness still inside the Crystal Line and they would defeat it in that form, forcing it to travel to the Mother Crystals.

"A better place to attempt this would be within the space where we fought Promathia where the Mother Crystals themselves seemed to be present," Rost said. "We can lead you there, if the pillar of light still exists inside the palace."

She accepted this plan of action as a better course to take and ordered them to leave immediately. Cid would remain on board the airship as he was not a fighter, but everyone else prepared. Sheepishly, Alain asked if there were any spare weapons on board that he could use as his scythe was gone. The only suitable substitute was part of the equipment brought by the Royal Knights from San d'Oria in the form of a long sword. Given that it was built for an Elvaan stature it just about passed as a thin great sword for a Hume. Either way, it was better than a dagger and he accepted it from one of the knights.

As they left the bridge Rost walked with Rahal speaking of what had happened since they last met. Renene and Nokum-Akkum walked with Shantotto and her Cardians, seemingly obsessed with watching the contraptions move and react to their attempts to trip them up. Volker and Zeid walked closely together a short distance in front of Alain, he was sure his former mentor had looked his way briefly but nothing was said.

With Esha'ntarl going first to test her theory, she stepped out into the red beam that shot high into the sky next to the Sigma XIII and immediately vanished. One by one they followed, heading back into Al'Taieu.

Within the palace of Hu'Xzoi the pillar of white light that had been formed by Promathia was still in place. After stepping through this, they once again found themselves high over Vana'diel in the paradox also created by the Twilight God and in the sky the Mother Crystals gently hummed. Those that had not been there before were startled by the sights around them and more than one almost collapsed. Alain noted that there did not seem to be any sign of Selh'teus.

"Astounding," Esha'ntarl whispered.

Ulmia and Prishe had been whispering to each other, but now all eyes were on them they both seemed to suddenly become shy. He had expected it from Ulmia but to see Prishe act in such a way was strange. Esha'ntarl revealed a scroll with words written on it and handed it to the Elvaan Bard. After looking it over and mouthing the words for the last verse silently, she raised her harp and gulped.

"Are…are you all ready?" she asked.

"Yes," Esha'ntarl replied. "Do not stop no matter what is drawn out from the Crystal Line. We will handle it and keep you safe. You must do this, Ulmia, and you must not stop."

Taking a long breath, Ulmia hung the harp in one arm and stretched her fingers out over the strings ready to pluck.

"May Altana be with us…"

She closed her eyes and in that instant picked the first few strings beginning the magical tune. After two bars she began to sing the first lines of the first verse and all eyes turned to the Mother Crystals around them, waiting to see what would happened.

High over head and at the opposite end of the area they all stood a small purple circle began to appear. Soon after, another appeared, and then another, until there were at least two dozen small circles.

"To arms Musketeers!" Volker cried and drew his sword.

Flailing white tendrils began to force their way out of the purple circle. Alain and the others recognised these things and knew it was monsters formed from pure Emptiness. It did not seem possible, the Emptiness was supposed to be gone, but perhaps Nag'molada's tainted soul still retained enough of the darkness to give life to the creatures. Behind the first set of circles more and more appeared as small creatures created from the Emptiness burst into the open space. Soon there were at least thirty readying to strike, with more on the way.

"Ninjas scatter!"

"For Jeuno!"

"For the pride of San d'Oria! Attack!"

From either side of him soldiers charged forwards. Swinging the sword from his back into his hands, Alain joined them in the charge. Tenzen appeared at his side and nodded as their eyes met. The dozens of creatures charged in kind.

Before the two groups met the creatures were struck with a colossal storm of lightning ripping almost half to pieces. Alain skidded to a halt and looked around to see Shantotto laughing to herself with smoke coming from her hands. Some of the survivors swooped around and past the soldiers in an effort to reach her, but were swatted away like flies as her Cardian protectors leapt with the agility of a ninja to strike with their staves.

Tenzen broke off away from him as a larger creature appeared and rammed his katana into the side of it, sinking the blade all the way in. Alain swiped upwards, catching one creature, and then twisted and blew another away with a ball of fire. Over head a Ninja flipped forwards, unleashing handfuls of explosive tags at the area the circles were appearing from.

"Incoming Empty, ground level!" a soldier shouted.

Larger circles began to appear on the level of the invisible floor and from them appeared the mammoth creatures they had seen within the Emptiness. Some were on four long legs, while others moved almost like wild cats. This group made a break for them while the smaller ones swooped around in the air drawing their attention.

Zeid descended from the sky on another bulky creature, splitting it in two. Drawing power into his sword he then ripped it up through the floor, sending a crescent moon into three more. Volker was at his back and unleashed a flurry of blows into a group of six smaller creatures.

A large legged Empty struck at Rahal, but his stalwart shield empowered by his Sentinel ability caused it to bounce backwards. After parrying another attack from one of the front legs, he swiped sideways and cut all four legs clean off. The body fell to the floor with a thud and then received the tip of the blade through its skull.

Another group of spawning smaller creatures was blown away by a cascade of powerful magic, leaving Alain and the others with close combat weapons to deal with the seemingly endless waves of the ones that walked. Alain rolled out the way of a pouncing tiger like one and then skewered his blade straight through it as it tried to advance. Hanaa appeared in front of him slicing through a flier with her rapier and then firing off a blast of fire at an enemy off to his side. She grinned as she past, encouraging him to keep going. They were all tired, but had to carry on.

Ulmia continued to sing and play her harp, despite how many creatures were being summoned. Prishe stood near; throwing punches at anything that came close. Catherine stood with her, ready to use protective shields and holy magic. Nokum-Akkum was quite nearby with Renene, who was in the process of summoning.

One of the Gold Musketeers had been cornered away from everyone else by three of the tiger like Empty. As they were about to pounce, one was rammed across the floor as Fenrir collided with it. Still moving with the same momentum, the summoned Avatar struck into the second, sinking its teeth straight through the glowing heart. The Musketeer fought off the third successfully.

"Ahhhh, curse you!" someone growled.

Alain looked over and saw that one of the long legged creatures and managed to stab through the breast plate of one of the Royal Knights. He changed direction instantly; there was still time to save him. He rushed past people fighting at every side and batted three flying creatures out the way as he went. Though blood dripped from the Royal Knight's mouth he was determined to bring down the foe that had wounded him. He tugged the leg that was stuck through his chest closer and cut upwards, bringing the creature off its point of balance. As it dropped he cut upwards and managed to catch the side of its glowing heart, shattering it. The body safely fell beside him and he was able to sever the leg stuck through him so that he could move, but his wound was serious.

As he reached him, Alain swung just in time to slice a flier out the air that had aimed directly for the wounded knight. To his surprise, Rost was next to come to the aid of the wounded Elvaan.

"I will take him to Catherine to heal his wounds," Rost said.

Alain grabbed Rost's arm, "No. You aren't as exhausted as I am. I'll take him."

Silently, Rost nodded and returned to the fray. Alain put his sword across his back and then did his best to hoist the wounded Royal Knight up by the arms to drag him over to Catherine. She saw him coming and left Ulmia's side just long enough to help. While she applied magic to close the wound, Alain watched in silence breathing deeply. He was nearing his limit.

A long groan caught his attention as he saw the largest kind of bulky Empty charging towards Ulmia. He tried to get up off his knees and almost fell to the floor. He cursed out loud; he was more exhausted than he thought. Samuel moved forwards with gun drawn and used a technique that split the bullet in the chamber. The front of the gun burst as if it were imbued with magic and five bullets battered into the creature, ripping it to pieces and bringing the mammoth to a stop.

High over head a new circle appeared that was bigger than the others hanging above. From it appeared the form of a man that most of them recognised. Nag'molada looked down at them all with an emotionless gaze. Esha'ntarl saw him from where she had dispatched numerous creatures in her amber armour and shouted to everyone to leave him to her. She leapt into the air and he met her halfway, their fists struck into each other and sent a wave of energy in every direction, knocking most of them away. Nag'molada pushed her to the invisible ground, but she kicked him off and then instantly appeared next to him to exchange more blows.

"Why aren't those circles disappearing?" he heard Catherine say nearby. "If Nag'molada was the cause why are they still coming? Everyone's fighting their hardest but soon we'll be overwhelmed…"

She was right, not matter how strong they were sooner or later their stamina would run out or they would simply be overrun by the constantly appearing creatures. Another wounded soldier was brought over, this time one of the soldiers under Wolfgang's command had been savaged by a tiger-like Empty. Alain saw a large shadow appear at the opposite end of the floating space and could not believe what he saw.

"Zeid!" he heard Volker shout.

"I know," was the reply.

Rising from the shadow came a beast with dark purple energy flowing in the veins around its body and forming an aura of power around its body. It did not seem possible but there could be no mistaking who it was; the Shadowlord. Together Zeid and Volker charged their former foe with weapons drawn. The Shadowlord's gigantic blade ruptured the invisible floor as they approached, but was not quick enough to catch them. Zeid dragged his sword up the Shadowlord's arm, cutting into the rock hard skin and sending a spray of purple into the air. Volker leapt up onto its arm and stabbed down into its shoulder, before being batted off and leaving another spray of purple blood.

Two more circles appeared, along with the seemingly never ending Empty. Alain gulped hard as two familiar figures began to appear, two that he had hoped never to see again. Kam'lanaut and his brother Eald'narche; the two Zilart that had caused everything to go wrong.

Aldo finished dispatching a large Empty by cutting its throat with his dagger and then saw the two that had just appeared. Moving instantly, he met Kam'lanaut as the former Archduke sprung forwards to strike one of the Duchy's soldiers in the back. His dagger locked with Kam'lanaut's sword and they stared at one another.

"Finally, I will avenge the pain you put Verena through," Aldo said through gritted teeth, and forced his opponent back.

He had lost sight of Eald'narshe; he had not been paying enough attention. Alain was stunned as he saw the Zilart boy's figure materialize next to him and turned only quick enough to see the small hand reaching for his neck. He was forced backwards, skidding across the floor, being held up by his throat as the boy pushed him with the force of ten Galka. He heard Catherine call out for help but no one was close enough.

"You…you were the….one," Eald'narche said in a ghostly whisper. "I will…have my…revenge!"

Without the powers Promathia had given him Alain could not hope to match the strength of a Zilart imbued with Magicite. He tried to break free from the small hand around his neck and was then struck to the floor. He saw blood drop from his mouth as he tried to focus his vision. Someone tried to come to his aid, someone had been nearby after all, but with a flick of Eald'narche's hand a burst of energy knocked them halfway across the floor. The Zilart pulled back and hovered in the air, gathering a tremendous amount of power into his fist, ready to unleash it at point blank range. Alain tried to get up but only managed to stagger onto one knee. Eald'narche pushed his hand forward.

"You will not injure him," a voice stated emotionlessly.

Selh'teus hung between Alain and Eald'narche and had grabbed the Zilart's hand in the air and held it tightly, despite the Zilart's infuriated efforts to free himself.

"I will be your opponent."

With ease, Selh'teus swung up, throwing Eald'narche high into the sky. With a powerful flap of his wings, Selh'teus pursued him with amazing speed and blasted into him with a ball of white light formed in his fist. Alain tried to get up again but could not.

He raised his hands as the last form of defence he had as he saw a creature fly towards him, but to his surprise it was shot out the air. Samuel appeared in front of him with a worried look on his face; next to him were Catherine and the Gentleman Thief. They began to fight off the Empty trying to pick him off as a weak target.

"Don't worry about me, help the others," he said as he wiped blood off his lip.

"I can't comply with that order, boss!" Samuel stated.

"They can handle this, Alain! We're not letting anything happen to you! Not now! Not this close to the end!" Catherine cried at him.

-

The Shadowlord cried out with a mixture of pain and rage as more cuts were torn into his flesh armour by Zeid and Volker. They were successfully wearing it down while the Gold Musketeers kept any of the other creatures from interrupting. Zeid flew through the air, drawing even more strength into his great sword. The Shadowlord raised his huge black sword in defiance and the two met in mid air.

"Ground Strike!" the Dark Knight roared.

The power collected in the blade burst through the sword empowering it enough to cut clean through the black sword of the Shadowlord. As the two halves of the sword split, Volker leapt up and through this gap as Zeid hit the floor.

"Savage Blade!"

Volker dragged his glowing short sword up the chest of the Shadowlord, sending purple blood in all directions as it went. At the peak he kicked off the Shadowlord's chin before descended straight down, stabbing his blade into the beast's forehead. It hung like a puppet for a few seconds before swaying. Volker dropped from it and then backed away with Zeid as the body suddenly exploded into white specs of light, which were drawn upwards into the largest crystal overhead.

-

Esha'ntarl continued to exchange blows with Nag'molada on equal footing.

"Such power…you hid it…well," the husk whispered.

"I hid nothing Nag'molada; you were blinded by your own arrogance!"

The side of her knuckle caught the side of his face, throwing him back down towards the floor. As he met with it he flipped to his feet and skidded along the floor. As he came to a halt he was distracted by a sudden overly loud laugh coming from behind him.

"Lust for power fed your thirst, but now you can have a taste of Burst!"

Unable to move from shock, Nag'molada faced the magic head on. Esha'ntarl moved instantly behind him and pushed both hands forward as she unleashed her own blast. Caught between both incredibly potent abilities there was no chance of escape. The magic of two colossal forces mixed and exploded, leaving only white specs of light behind. As everything settled between them, despite the battle raging on around, Esha'ntarl smirked and bowed before the power of the Tarutaru Black Mage. Shantotto leant back and let out another disturbingly loud laugh.

-

Aldo flipped his dagger into the air, catching the white armour of Kam'lanaut. Twisting around in mid air, he tugged his other arm from his robes and caught it, before lashing out and finding the mark once more. The spinning outer layer of the former Archduke's shield tore into his shoulder, eventually hitting flesh and spurting blood into the air. Aldo retreated slightly but would not back down and, after righting his dagger once more, ploughed forwards. Kam'lanaut raised his blade once more, but Aldo stopped mid dash and grappled with his opponent's hand, stopping the sword from descending. He glared at the Zilart's face.

"It's over for you, Kam'lanaut. Evisceration!"

Blood red energy leaked from Aldo's dagger as it blurred from moving too fast to avoid. It dug into the chest plate of his enemy, stabbing into the skin five times in less than a second. Kam'lanaut's eyes rolled back as he fell towards the floor, breaking into white balls of light before going all the way.

-

Eald'narche blasted a ray of black energy towards the winged boy, who dispelled it with an equally potent white blast. Enraged, Eald'narche charged forwards, but was knocked away effortlessly.

"What you are trying to do is pointless," he told the Zilart.

"No…you're wrong…" was the whispered reply.

By this point the creatures born from Emptiness had stopped appearing and Ulmia had completed her song. There was no more darkness to be drawn from the Crystal Lines. Eald'narche looked around and saw everyone gathering in preparation to finish him off, his allies had been sent on their way at long last. He backed away and still hung in the air.

"You won't…"

He raised his hand and a blast of light shot into the red crystal over head. A new circle appeared in the air a few seconds later.

"Something else is coming, watch out!" Esha'ntarl shouted to everyone.

A body appeared from the circle. It appeared to be cradling a piece of crystal. Alain got to his feet and could not find his voice, but he recognised the person. He had not seen them for a long time. She had vanished that day on Tu'Lia, she had thrown herself into the crystal to stop Tu'Lia from falling. As the woman suspended in the air opened her hands the shard of crystal she had held tightly against her breast burst into white light and was drawn upwards. A second later, her body went limp and fell towards the ground.

"Lion!" Aldo and Zeid cried.

Selh'teus swooped under the falling girl and caught her in his arms. He floated to the floor with slow flaps of his wings and handed her over to Aldo. Alain rushed over and looked at her. It was the same yellow dress she had worn; her hair was the same dark shade of red. It was definitely Lion, the daughter of the pirate king Gilgamesh.

"She was holding a crystal…" Esha'ntarl stated. "She was keeping them all at bay…all this time. What a remarkable woman."

Eald'narche cursed at them all, "She has relinquished the final piece…finally I can access…the Crystal Line…I will…attain…paradise…"

Selh'teus gazed upwards and formed a ball of white light in his hand. Instantly and without a flap of his wings he appeared in front of the Zilart boy and thrust his hand straight into his chest. Eald'narche jerked forwards and blood gushed from his mouth, he was trying to speak but could not.

"You are at peace, paradise is waiting," Selh'teus said.

The final body of the enemies spawned from the Crystal Line turned into white light and was absorbed by the Mother Crystals. Selh'teus turned to them all and thanked them. Alain could have sworn that there was almost a smile on his face as the boy seemed to fade away. After that all eyes were on Lion's unconscious body. She was alive though, her chest moved with calm breaths.

"We're here at last!" a high pitched voice bellowed.

With weapons drawn they turned back the way they had came expecting to see another enemy. To their surprise they saw three troublesome Tarutaru siblings, equally shocked to see so many armed people glaring at them.

Kukki-Chebukki moved closer to his siblings, "I think we missed the fun."

Cherukiki slapped her brothers around the head, "I told you I should have piloted the airship!"

"That would be the airship you stole, correct?" Wolfgang asked sternly.

The three siblings exchanged glances.

"Escape…"

"Plan…"

"…Run!"


	26. Epilogue

EPILOGUE: LETTERS FROM A THIEF

"Hi everyone, we're back!"

Ulmia walked a short distance behind Prishe, who was quite happily yelling at the top of her lungs and waving at people around the Safehold. Over the many years that they had known each other Ulmia had become used to Prishe's unique way of conducting herself, yet something was different ever since the magicite that had been lodged in her chest was removed.

She had grown up into a woman while Prishe stayed the same. Her body never changed, her hair never grew, and she was locked in a moment of time. That moment was when the accident happened and now it was as if her body had been freed. She had the memories of so many years yet now her body was only just starting to catch up. Prishe had changed, but it was for the better. It was almost like she was a youngster once more.

Alain and the others had help free her and she would forever be in their debt. They had all parted ways in Jeuno, but were already making plans to meet up. There was so much more of the world to see now that Tavnazia was in contact with the main land. Ulmia was quite happy just to be home, but Prishe was already talking about seeing Windurst and where Alain and the others lived in Bastok.

"Get out of the way long-legs, high class diplomats from Jeuno approaching!"

Ulmia looked around and saw the Chebukki siblings strutting forwards.

"…Diplomats?" Ulmia smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "You three are just lucky that you weren't thrown into jail for theft of an airship…not to mention impersonating government officials."

The siblings exchanged glances and then ran off home.

"Come on, Ulmia!"

On the upper level of the Safehold they approached her Grandfather's quarters. She was looking forward to seeing him again, but was still undecided just how much she would say about everything they had seen and done. Prishe rushed on ahead and was knocking feverishly at the door by the time she caught up.

"Prishe, will you calm down?"

"I'm just glad to be home. I'm home, Tavnazia! You hear me?!"

Ulmia shook her head, "You're just being loud to hide your awkwardness."

Prishe went quiet and twiddled her thumbs, "…Maybe."

Inside, Ulmia hugged her grandfather and asked how he was doing. Prishe waved and then went over to see Justinius, who was standing in the corner. They gathered around the central table and talked at length about what had been going on while they were travelling.

"Ah, our other guest has arrived," her grandfather said.

From the door a large figure appeared. They had to duck under the low door frame to get in. One arm was pressed up against their chest in a long sling supported by a leather strap. Ulmia raised a hand to her mouth in shock as she realized who it was. Prishe was silent and her hands dropped to her side as she simply stared.

"Prishe…"

Brute stepped forwards and out stretched his uninjured arm. Prishe ran forwards and embraced his large form as best she could while sobbing into his chest. He patted her head and rubbed her back, muttering that she usually would not show so much emotion.

"You big lug…I thought you were dead…" she sniffed.

"I almost was. Thankfully, Nag'molada turned tail and ran at the first sign of the Minotaur. It was a tough fight but I managed to kill it. Afterwards he ambushed me, took the spoils, and left me for dead. It took me about a week to crawl out of those aqueducts; the guard on duty almost had a heart attack."

Ulmia clasped her hands together and said a silent prayer in thanks for the kindness the goddess had shown them by allowing their dear Galkan friend to have survived through everything. Things looked far brighter now for their future and for each and every person in the Safehold.

-

Alain and Catherine walked hand in hand through Bastok Markets looking over some new vendors' bazaars. It was the first morning they had spent together since getting home and still felt a little uncomfortable. It felt like everyone was watching them just to see what would happen, or what mistake he would make. She left his hand to bend over and look at a collection of hairpins made from shells collected from the eastern shores.

Noticing that Catherine seemed very taken with a rainbow coloured shell, Alain asked if she wanted it. Out of politeness she refused, but he insisted and purchased it for her. She smiled sheepishly as he helped her clip it to the top of her long hair. She asked how it looked and he told her it was beautiful, causing her to blush. They left the stall after that and took the path into the residential district to head home.

"I'll need to get you a gift now," she said as they walked.

"You don't need too…"

"I will, but to get someone like you? A scythe or a sword?"

He laughed, "For a first attempt at a joke that wasn't half bad."

"Exc…excuse me," a quiet voice said.

They both stopped and looked down to see a dumpy looking Galkan child looking a little anxious. He explained, through nervous stutters, that he was new to town and was a little lost and that he was trying to find Bastok Mines. Alain turned and pointed back the way they had came, which would take him into the centre of Bastok Markets and from there getting to the Mines would be easy.

The Galka smiled, "Thank you, Alain."

With that the child ran off. They started walking away and a few steps down the road paused and looked at each other.

"How did he know my name?"

"…You don't think that was…?"

They held hands all the way back home. Inside they were surprised to see Rost arranging a lot of boxes and bags. It looked like Hanaa had been roped into helping, along with two of the Moogles. Alain's jaw dropped at just how much there was filling up the front room of the shared mansion.

"There's no way all that stuff survived your house collapsing!" he said.

Rost huffed, "This is not just what was recovered from the wreckage of my home in North San d'Oria. Many are gifts from the people of the city as thanks at averting the end of the world."

Alain's jaw hit the floor. President Karst had decided to keep as much as possible about what happened a total secret and as such they had received nothing, yet San d'Oria was praising Rost despite him being in the middle of the warring sides. As far as he had heard the only bit of information that was freely available was the existence of the Highwind and that Jeuno had sanctioned that it be allowed to carry on as an independent airship given the key role it played in protecting all three nations.

"Man, this must be solid gold – it weighs a ton!" Hanaa exclaimed and stretched.

Alain shook his head, "There's just no justice in the world."

"No need to be jealous, Alain," Rost smirked. "This is only a temporary situation while my new home is built, I will be gone in a few months. Besides, one might think you should be grateful that everything you went through resulted in you expressing your feelings for the one you love."

He blushed, looked at the floor, and noticed Catherine had done the same. Hanaa laughed so hard she almost fell over, declaring that Rost had won that argument with ease.

Changing the subject quickly Catherine asked, "Where are Nokum-Akkum and Renene? Surely they have not left already?"

Alain had heard the two Tarutarus talking about travelling to Windurst. Nokum-Akkum had never really been there and it was not like him to go anywhere without telling him first. But it looked like he had left, meaning he had to be quite taken with Renene for him to forget to tell them where he was going. That was good though, he was happy that his friend had found the same thing that he had. Catherine looked around and was just as surprised they were both gone.

"What about you, Hanaa?" Alain asked. "Are you going on the road again now?"

"No…" she said and smiled. "I'm happy to be home."

A frantic knock at the door surprised them. Alain's heart sank; had something else bad happened already? He opened the door and was startled to see Samuel standing gripping a scroll of some kind and a horrified look on his face. Catherine appeared and was worried something was wrong and asked if he was hurt or if something had happened. They helped him in, but the young Ranger insisted that he was not hurt. Hanaa sat uncomfortably close to him under the pretence of double checking and purred as she did.

"What's wrong, Samuel?" Catherine asked.

"It's…I, I need to show you this letter…" he said and held up the scroll he had been cradling in his hands. "The Gentleman Thief sent me it…please, look at it Alain."

Alain took the scroll in hand and read the first line.

"This sounds personal, Samuel. Are you sure you want me reading this?"

With the same look on his face, Samuel insisted that he had to look at it.

-

_Dear Samuel,_

_First, allow me to apologise that I cannot speak to you in person. I felt perhaps that it was time that I bowed out from the limelight I have created for myself over my long life. Whether we will meet again or not I cannot say, but it is important that I pass onto you something which I have kept secret for some time._

_In my youth I was somewhat misguided and succumbed to the allure of being a professional thief. Though I was not one to believe hearsay, many of the same trade heralded me as a master in the art of theft. This eventually led to me taking on many students who wished to learn the trade from me. One of which was your father. I made a promise to him that I would only refer to him as Pops to you and so that is how I will proceed from this point, I believe you understand that well enough. Don't you, Samuel?_

_It might shock you to learn that your father was even more headstrong than I was in his youth. Despite his over-eagerness to leap headfirst into situations, he was a quick learner and soon became a partner rather than a student. We did many jobs together and had quite a reputation, so to speak. Though our identities were not known, our escapades were oft spoken of._

_This continued for many years. I cannot say for sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line your father met your mother. I was introduced to her some time later, on a warm Windsday morning in Port Windurst. She was a beautiful woman and seemed to give off a radiance of kindness. I remember joking with your father that he must have surpassed my skills to have stolen the heart of such a heavenly person._

_Despite finding love, your father still continued to work with me. She seemed happy to travel with him and did not inquire why he was always on the move. I tried to encourage him to work less but he would have none of it. Eventually our work took us to Bastok, where we became stuck._

_We had been in and out of Bastok many times over the years and had never really settled in one place. However, during our stay there on this occasion the war that had been stirring broke out in full force. A state of emergency was declared and armies were rallied. In the initial panic caused by this the whole city was placed in lock down and no one was allowed to leave._

_At first it was a nuisance, but we had more than enough money to split between us and find accommodation. I settled for a small out of the way place, but I believe your father purchased the house that you stay in to this day. The city lock down lasted three weeks while the state of things was fully assessed and by the time it was allowed, under certain circumstances, to travel to a limited degree your father had lost his urge to move._

_I was relieved, I could not be happier for them. I went on my own way, but due to the war I, too, was limited in what jobs I would take on. Bastok was still a port of call for me as often as possible. Every so often I would visit your parents and your father would take me aside and ask to come along on a job. He missed some aspects of the life I believed he had left behind, I suppose. I, too, missed having a companion and accepted his assistance from time to time._

_Your father was never one for good timing. He chose to tell me that she was pregnant in the middle of a job, dangling on the tilted roof of an estate house trying not to drop platinum candlesticks to the street below. It was in that exact moment that I realized that the life I was leading was no place for a man with a partner expecting their first child._

_It was the first time your father lost his temper with me. I did my best to reason with him and to convince him to give up the life of a thief. It is probably the fact that he argued against it so strongly, that made what happened so painful for him. I will not dwell on this, but you once asked me about your mother and what happened to her and now I will tell you._

_Why? I had searched for information regarding an incident for a long time. I broke into many places that most other thieves would never dare. I saw many things that shocked me, including what I eventually discovered. On the way I also saw just how far reaching this information was and what it might mean. Perhaps in a moment of weakness, I decided that I would not tell you. But then, in that white city, I saw what desire was in my heart. The Twilight God promised me contentment. It was something so simple yet so powerful. Afterwards, I saw only one way to find contentment through my own means. If this is selfish then I apologise, but I see no other way._

_The incident in which your mother died was covered up. You may or may not be aware; but the official reports at the time through the Vana'diel Tribune and other sources was that numerous civilians in North Gustaberg were preyed upon by a raiding party of Beastmen that had slipped through Grauberg. I searched out where this happened and found no evidence of Beastmen having been anywhere near Bastok's walls._

_I brought my suspicions about something not being right to your father, but alas I was not heard. There was no consoling him after your mother died. I feared more than once that he might try to join her. He blamed himself, you see. Your mother was alone because he had decided to take on a job. What kept him alive, I think, was that you still lived. You will not remember, Samuel, but you were with your mother when she died. You were still an infant and she had taken you out along the north path for a stroll._

_It made no sense. Beastmen would spare no one, not even a small child. I broke into the presidential offices to try and discover what had really happened on more than one occasion. They were well guarded and I could never stay long without risking capture. Your father found out that I was doing this and asked me to stop, he did not want me to risk so much as it would not bring her back. I reluctantly complied with his request, leaving what really happened unanswered._

_More years passed, more than I would like to remember. I am not sure why, but I could not forgot that incident. Without Pops prior knowledge I returned to Bastok after a long absence and picked up my investigation from where I left off. I found that all documentation of the attack was only what was covered by various news sources. There was nothing official. I found links back to one Hume, the representative from the Jeuno embassy in the Metalworks, but those offices were near empty. I broke into his home and, in my haste to find any information, fell foul to a rather impressive security system, resulting in my capture. Fate felt it right for me to meet Alain at this moment, locked away in the dungeon that the ambassador had thrown me in._

_All I could find in the home of the man was that the ties to Jeuno seemed far stronger than I had originally thought. Those in command in Jeuno seemed to have immediately leapt on the incident after it happened and controlled who was involved with the clean up. Of course, with a war raging, there was little time or reason to suspect anything was wrong. It was investigators from Jeuno that found the scene of the carnage beyond the original witness. You were found behind a rock a short distance from where your mother's body was discovered, crying loudly. The investigators had wanted to take you to a war orphans home established within Jeuno, but thankfully you were identified and returned to your father, but not without considerable argument from said investigators._

_Why would they care so much about you and what happened to your mother? I knew where answers would await me. After the business with the Zilart and my silent reunion with your father I slipped away. I broke into the secret vaults of the Archduke and explored every office of every high ranking official and eventually found what I was looking for. I, however, was also discovered by some of those puppet guards and was once more thrown in prison._

_The truth can hurt, Samuel. It can also heal and make bonds stronger. I pray that this information will cause the latter. If you read on then I must ask two things of you. The first is that you show Alain the content of this letter, for reasons you are about to hear. The second is that, no matter what I am about to tell you, you will not change who you are. I see both your parents in you and I encourage you to live an adventurous life just as they did._

_Your mother was taking you out that day as she had done many times before. You were in a small carriage that she pushed along. However, the other reason that she went out that day was because her other son had asked to go. _

_Your brother, Samuel, was a few years older than you. When your mother was attacked she ordered him to run. He was still too young to really understand what was going on, but run he did. Meanwhile, she took you from the carriage and hid you. Your cries eventually led to your discovery and you were brought back to your father. Your brother, however, went missing and was presumed dead._

_She was not a normal Hume. I had always said it and so did your father, but we could have no idea how right we were. The reason that Jeuno was so keen to hide any involvement in what happened to her was because they were the ones that killed her. She was attacked by assassins sent specifically to murder her; the other deaths were purely to cover their tracks. Her death had been ordered by the Archduke himself and the reason for this eluded me for some time._

_By now you may have worked it out for yourself, but allow me to confirm what I discovered. Your mother was a Zilart. She had abandoned Kam'lanaut and Eald'narche's insane plans to enter paradise and paid the highest price as a result. She had never told your father any of this and I hope you can understand why. All along she had been running as well, that was why she so readily allowed your father and me to continue our work. _

_What happened to your brother I can only guess. I suspect that he stumbled upon soldiers of an allied nation, or perhaps wandered alone for days, but eventually found his way back to Bastok and was labelled as a war orphan._

_Alain, you are reading this as well I hope. My boy, I saw the resemblance in you straight away. Not so much your father, but your eyes match your mother's perfectly. I was shocked when you were thrown into the cell beside me; I assumed that I was seeing things. Yet from that day things spiralled. When I saw you and Samuel I saw the resemblance, but could not believe it. That helped spur me to risk breaking into Jeuno to find out the truth. I hope you, like me, can find some solace in the fact that those responsible for all this have been dealt with._

_That is all I have to say to you both. What you chose to do with this information is up to you. I hope that you both live a happy life in whatever way you think fit, in honour of your mother. _

_Yours, _

_Alexander R Otrovali._

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Alain finished reading the letter and let it drop from his hands. He looked at Samuel and Samuel looked at him. He did not know what to say. Catherine picked up the scroll where it had landed and read through it, with Hanaa and Rost looking over her shoulders.

Hanaa looked up, "You know, they both do sorrrt of have the same stunned look."

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**Author Note:**

**Thank you for sticking with DV1 and DV2. I hope you enjoyed them, I had fun writing them. I won't call this the ultimate end, but for the time being this is the end of this particular story.**

**Thank you to those who read both and a special thanks to any one who took the time to leave reviews, especially the 3-4 that did it for almost every chapter in this story.**

**I can be contacted through my profile. I guess that about covers it. See you around and thanks again.**


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